Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod facts for kids
Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod (in German, it means "the dative case is the genitive case's death") is a popular series of books by Bastian Sick. These books help people understand tricky parts of grammar, how to spell words (orthography), and how to use punctuation correctly. Bastian Sick wrote them to help people use the German language better and avoid common mistakes. The books started as articles he wrote for "Spiegel Online," a German news website. There are currently several books in the series, and they have often been bestsellers.
Contents
What are these books about?
Bastian Sick's books focus on common errors and confusing parts of the German language. He wants to show people how to use German grammar, spelling, and punctuation properly. He believes that some common ways of speaking or writing are not correct. His goal is to help people use the language more carefully and clearly.
How did the books become popular?
The ideas for these books first appeared in weekly articles called "Zwiebelfisch-columns." Bastian Sick wrote these for "Spiegel Online," a big German news website. Because the articles were so popular, they were collected and turned into books. These books quickly became very successful. They often reached the top of the book sales lists in Germany.
In some parts of Germany, ideas from these books have even been used in schools. For example, in Saarland, a German state, a foreword written by Bastian Sick was used in teaching materials in August 2005. This shows how important his work became in helping people learn German.
The Books in the Series
Here are the titles of the main books in the series:
- Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod – Ein Wegweiser durch den Irrgarten der deutschen Sprache. (This means: "The Dative is the Genitive's Death – A Guide Through the Maze of the German Language.") It was published in 2004.
- Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod, Folge 2 – Neues aus dem Irrgarten der deutschen Sprache. (This means: "The Dative is the Genitive's Death, Part 2 – More from the Maze of the German Language.") It came out in 2005.
- Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod. Folge 3. Noch mehr aus dem Irrgarten der deutschen Sprache. (This means: "The Dative is the Genitive's Death, Part 3. Even More from the Maze of the German Language.") This book was released in November 2006.
Other Books Like This
There are similar books in other languages that also talk about common language mistakes in a fun way.
- Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a book by Lynne Truss. It talks about punctuation in English in a popular and easy-to-understand style.
- In Sweden, a similar book was created. It was inspired by Lynne Truss's book and explains interesting parts of Swedish pronunciation.
