Fowler's Modern English Usage | R. W. Burchfield

Fowler's Modern English Usage | R. W. Burchfield | Essential Writer's Reference

books:

Fowler's Modern En...

	Fowler's Modern English Usage R. W. Burchfield Oxford University Press, USA, 2004 - 896 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Fowler's Modern English Usage is the world-famous guide to English usage, loved and used by writers of all kinds. In keeping with its long tradition, Fowler's gives comprehensive and practical advice on grammar, syntax, style, and choice of words. It gives a clear and authoritative picture of the English we use, and elucidates many scores of usage questions such as the split infinitive and the intricacies of political correctness. It gives in-depth coverage of both British and American English with reference to the English of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The volume includes wide-ranging examples of usage from a broad selection of newspapers, journals, and books from across the globe, and features illustrative quotations from authors such as Agatha Christie, Chinua Achebe, Iris Murdoch, Harold Pinter, and Noel Coward.
Based on the evidence and research of the Oxford Dictionaries Program, this is the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to usage available. The third edition of 1996 provided a complete revision and an expansion of the original text, bringing the book fully up to date on all matters of grammar, usage, syntax, and style. This is a reissue of the revised third edition of 1998, which includes a new Supplement and revised entries. Replaces isbn 0198602634.

for more information click here

the Best 4 the Best

I've used the first three editions of this book, and find the second edition to be the most useful and interesting. I do not recommend any of this series to the casual English speaker who would only like to avoid glaring grammatical mistakes; there are simpler guides better targeting this. Key to efficiently benefiting from this book is knowing when to consult it. Thus, this book is best appreciated by someone with an already strong verbal command who recognizes opportunities to make subtle improvements.

Essential Writer's Reference

Without this book on your shelf, how can you be sure when to use 'further' rather than 'farther,' 'that' instead of 'which'? You can't--it's an essential reference for every writer--fiction or nonfiction--who wants his or her work to show itself at the level of commercial professionalism.

for more information click here

A Terrific New Updated Fowler

I am a non-native English speaker. So naturally I like prescriptive English usage guides, and have an inherent doubt over the newer ?descriptive? ones?I do not feel I am guided enough. For this reason, I did not think this book worth buying, after reading some reviews of this book. However, my opinions turned around 180° after browsing a few pages in a bookstore.

Take for example the use of ?hopefully?. Previous guides I read say that using it in the meaning ?I hope? is not recommended in formal contexts, but the reason they give is not persuasive. Burchfield powerfully argues for the VALIDITY of ?sentence adverb?, cites historical evidence of the usage, and concludes it with: ?since at least the 17c., certain adverbs in -ly have acquired the ability to qualify a predication or assertion as a whole.... In the last third of the 20c., this little-used and scarcely observed mechanism of the language has broken loose.... Conservative speakers, taken unawares by the sudden expansion of an unrecognized type of construction, have exploded with resentment that is unlikely to fade away before at least the end of the 20c.? Well, I am persuaded enough now to use ?hopefully? with a clear conscience. I believe he has the authority to tell the trend and direction of the English language.

The books takes into account different variants of the English language, including British, American, Australian, Canadian, etc., and its style is light-hearted and humorous. For example, when reading about whether to use English plural forms or Latin plural forms for Latin words in English, I cannot help laughing when I read: ?when formal knowledge of Latin rules is fading fast, it is not surprising that there should be a general movement towards the English plurals ... but ... a degree of self-satisfaction is certainly in order if a knowledgeable person chooses to retain the Latin plural form?. I wish I would not shy away to correct others? ?Criteria 1? :-).

The book is both historical and modern. It is not pedagogical, and is fun to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about writing and speaking good English.

for more information click here

Fowler is indispensible - but...

Find a used second edition. In good shape, because you will wear it out.
Probably the most useful reference for a writer in addition to a good
style manual. Not just the what but the why - with wonderful examples.

What is it in itself?

That's what Thomas Aquinas suggested we consider when assessing anything - What is it in itself?

This is not Fowler's (the second edition), even though the cover indicates that the publisher would be happy for you to believe it is. The introduction makes it plain that this a wholly different kettle of fish to the beloved Fowler's. It is less prescriptive, as other reviewers have noted. It is drier, there is less wit, less opinion, and perhaps less wisdom. I find it less well organised than Fowler's.

But it is very good at what it is trying to do: offer a description of modern English usage, including English used in the Americas and other far-flung locations. If you are a casual reader I would probably still recommend Fowler's first, just because it's generally the more enjoyable read. Also, you can pick it up for about 50 cents. If you are a language maven or work with words I can't imagine you'd want to be without this, although I'd expect you to also have Fowler's on your shelf.

Fowler's tells you what to do, although of course you can disagree, and in many cases the passage of time means you must if you want to be understood. This edition just lays out the land and lets the reader decide. Either way it's still your decision, but responding to Fowler's prescription is more fun than just choosing between dry options. I prefer the more prescriptive approach of Fowler's, so like others I want that approach with this currency (or might that be currentness, I'll have to check...), but in itself - this is very good at what it intends to be.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

products you might be interested in