Henry Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage was first published in 1926. It was an immediate success on publication, selling 60,000 copies in its first year, and it went on to become the most influential set of guidelines on grammar and the use of the English language of the twentieth century. There were later versions revised by Sir Ernest Gowers in 1965 and Robert Burchfield in 1996, but this is a facsimile of the original first edition. It's reproduced photographically from the original - so the entries are arranged in two columns on the page, which was the style for books of this kind at the time. This presentation strikes me as doubly appropriate, because it captures the old-fashioned nature of the original, and it accurately reflects the slightly pedantic tone of the contents. Fowler is not unlike his great lexicological predecessor Samuel Johnson in issuing his judgements wrapped around with ironic asides, which makes for interesting reading... Read more >>
25 October 2009
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage
10 October 2007
Oxford A-Z of English Usage
Do you know the past tense of the verb to dive? Is it dived or dove? Don't worry - nor would most native English speakers. The same is true of the verb to dream. Is it dreamed or dreamt? That's even less of a worry - because both are correct. This guide offers straightforward, up-to-date guidance on questions of English usage, all affecting the language we choose. Common confusions such as uninterested and disinterested are explained, differences between British and American practice are highlighted, and it takes a realistic attitude towards famous examples such as splitting infinitives, ending a sentence with a preposition, and when it is correct to say you and me or you and I... Read more >>
13 June 2007
The Teacher's Guide to Grammar
The other day I overheard a young girl of around eight ask her mother "What's a phoneme?" Not surprisingly, her mother didn't even understand the question. And the girl added, "I think it's part of a word" - which was not a bad shot.This made me realise just how deeply the teaching of formal grammar was back in our national curriculum. And when I thought of the poor teachers having to implement this policy, my heart sank on their behalf. I think Deborah Cameron would understand and sympathise with this feeling, because this book is aimed specifically at existing and would-be classroom teachers. They now have the unenviable task of introducing what is essentially the study of linguistics into the daily life of schoolchildren... Read more >>
