Does grammar instruction have to elicit moans and groans from students and teachers alike? Only when it's taught the old-fashioned way: as a series of rules to follow and errors to "fix" that have little or no connection to practical application or real-world writing.

Teacher, researcher, and consultant Amy Benjamin challenges the idea of "skill and drill" grammar in the second edition of this lively, engaging, and immensely practical guide. Her enlightened view of grammar is grounded in linguistics and teaches us how to make informed decisions about teaching grammar—how to move...