ARLENE MILLER, an English teacher at Petaluma Junior High School, has self-published a new book on grammar, The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! 101 Ways to Impress With Your Writing and Speaking. (The publication date is May 1, 2010. You can pre-order a copy for $11.95 at www.bigwords101.com.)
 
As a high school dropout, I missed grammar in English classes. I later received a GED and graduate degrees; but a fear of grammar has always stalked me as a writer. I’ve read several books on grammar whose complexity only reinforced my fear. Too many rules and so little time.

I was surprised to discover that Arlene Miller’s new book makes grammar easy to learn. Even for an old word dog like me. Her remarkable passion and teaching skills are evident in this easy-to-use handbook on grammar. It has found a permanent place on my desk next to the dictionary and thesaurus.

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Is your book a textbook or a handbook?
It’s more of a handbook. It could be used as a textbook. It’s not as complete as a textbook. It’s not really a reference book. It has what you need to know. It’s a handbook to avoid common mistakes in grammar.
 
Who is your audience?
I would say anyone from middle school and up who would like to know how to speak and write better and not make common mistakes. High school kids, college kids, home schoolers, parents who want to help their kids with their homework, non-native English speakers and people who want to brush up on their grammar because they’re looking for a new job.
 
Why did you write this book?
I had this idea awhile ago. I outlined this book about four years ago and it sat for a couple of years. I have a history of being an editor and a writer, and now a teacher, and I could see that people were making the same mistakes over and over again. . . . I got tired of hearing it and I thought, “Why don’t I put those in a book all together?”
 
How long have you lived in Petaluma?
I’m a Bostonian. My ex-husband and my kids moved here to Petaluma in 1993 because he got a job out here.
 
What sort of career have you had?
It was very eclectic. I started doing creative things when I was about five. I wrote a musical for my friend. I danced from the time I was six until a few years ago. . . . I ended up a tap dancer and teacher.
 
Why did you like tap dancing?
It’s linear. It’s cut and dried. Writing a novel is more lyrical. It’s more like ballet and jazz. But tap and grammar seem more left brained. . . . Grammar and tap dancing are my two talents. They seem to have something in common.
 
What else have you done?
I considered myself a creative person at first. I wanted to be an actress. I took piano lessons in junior high and high school. I wanted to be a song writer; and I still have a box of lyrics. In high school I wrote hundreds of songs and lyrics. It never happened! So I decided I would write for Billboard music magazine – which is probably why I went to school and majored in journalism. And I double majored in English. I thought that I would work in something related to show business or music. It never really happened. When I got out of college there were no jobs. That’s when there were gas lines. It was sad. I ended up doing clerical work. I moved to Florida and got a job as a newspaper reporter. It was kind of a dead town and hard to find news, and I switched over to the other newspaper in town as a UPI editor, which I really liked. I got to choose the news and take it off the machine. Then I moved to Boston and got a job with a computer company, Wang, as a secretary, and then . . . as a technical writer.
 
What’s it like teaching English in middle school?
Not easy! It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. If I could just teach grammar I’d be really happy.
 
What makes grammar difficult to learn?
It seems to be a difficult concept. Even teaching the parts of speech. It’s abstract. People just seem to have a difficult time grasping it. There are a few kids that like it and some kids that really catch on. A lot of times they are the same kids that grasp math. And there are some kids that are perfectly bright who don’t.
 
In your book, you’ve boiled down grammar to what is really necessary to know.
I think it’s because I’m really organized. I really like organizing things. Coming from [a background] as a technical writer, spelling everything out. Not leaving anyone wondering what I meant. I think I’m probably good at breaking things down and explaining them . . . and making it interesting.
 
How did the Internet help you with the book?
A lot! The Internet is a godsend to me. I have a website. I participate in a lot of online networking. Facebook. Linkedin. I have a Facebook fan page for the book and about 75 fans, a lot of whom are students. . . . I would never have known how to write and publish the book if it weren’t for the Internet – the Yahoo self publishing group. They taught me everything I needed to know.
 
What’s it like to have to do all the marketing work?
Overwhelming. It’s like, “Okay, I wrote the book and now I’m done.” No. That was the easy part.
 
What are the next steps?
I see myself doing an offshoot of this book, maybe a workbook.
 
How does your book compare with other books on grammar?
I did some research on Amazon to see how they were selling; and they sell well. I went to Borders and looked at every single grammar book. About twenty five. There were a few books that were similar, but nothing quite the same. . .  . There are a few books that are a companion to grammar. They’re bigger and unwieldy to use. I think this is probably the easiest one to use. It’s the most succinct. It’s the least esoteric.
 
Sometimes it’s fun breaking the rules of grammar as a writer.
If you look in a novel you’ll see a sentence fragment. But I don’t want my students to do it on an essay. . . . But there are many rules that are debatable.
 
Why are you so deeply interested in grammar?
For some reason it fascinates me. I don’t know why. I don’t know where it comes from. I took Latin in high school. I love Latin. My Latin college board was the highest score I had. . . . It’s the same way with music. I do very well on music theory. It’s like grammar.
 
What’s your favorite part of the book?
I like Chapter Five on “Confusing Things.” Probably because I know those things and most people don’t. They’re easy to teach. I like teaching them because you feel like you’ve accomplished something when you get that idea across, when they say, “So that’s the difference! Now I understand it.” Then it’s worth it.
 
What’s the biggest challenge in teaching grammar?
The biggest challenge is, “Who cares?” Who really cares if you say I or me? So many people speak incorrectly. I’ll say [to my students] that it’s wrong to say, “Me and him went to the movies.” They’ll say it sounds right. It doesn’t sound right to me; but it sounds right to you guys because so many people say it that way. And it’s wrong!
 
Are you worried that someone will find a grammar mistake in your book?
Absolutely. You don’t know how many times that I’ve gone through that book.