Garner's Modern English UsageWith more than a thousand new entries and more than 2,300 word-frequency ratios, the magisterial fourth edition of this book-now renamed Garner's Modern English Usage (GMEU)-reflects usage lexicography at its finest. Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary with thoroughness, finesse, and wit. He discourages whatever is slovenly, pretentious, or pedantic. GMEU is the liveliest and most compulsively readable reference work for writers of our time. It delights while providing instruction on skillful, persuasive, and vivid writing. Garner liberates English from two extremes: both from the hidebound "purists" who mistakenly believe that split infinitives and sentence-ending prepositions are malfeasances and from the linguistic relativists who believe that whatever people say or write must necessarily be accepted. The judgments here are backed up not just by a lifetime of study but also by an empirical grounding in the largest linguistic corpus ever available. In this fourth edition, Garner has made extensive use of corpus linguistics to include ratios of standard terms as compared against variants in modern print sources. No other resource provides as comprehensive, reliable, and empirical a guide to current English usage. For all concerned with writing and editing, GMEU will prove invaluable as a desk reference. Garner illustrates with actual examples, cited with chapter and verse, all the linguistic blunders that modern writers and speakers are prone to, whether in word choice, syntax, phrasing, punctuation, or pronunciation. No matter how knowledgeable you may already be, you're sure to learn from every single page of this book. |
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Common terms and phrases
19th century acceptable adjective adverb Advocate Baton Rouge AmE and BrE American appears avoided BACK-FORMATION become better bona fide Boston Globe called capitalized CASUALISM Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Trib cliché comma common commonly confusion connotations construction contexts correct corresponding COUNT NOUNS court Current ratio danglers denotes Dictionary error especially example frequently grammar H.W. Fowler Herald hyphenated idiom John July June LABELS language LANGUAGE-CHANGE INDEX Latin linguistic mass noun meaning misspelled modern NEEDLESS VARIANT Newsday Newsday N.Y. ngrams occasionally past participle person PHRASAL phrase plural political possible revision Post Post-Gaz predominant preposition print sources pronounced pronunciation readers REDUNDANCY reference sense sentence Sept singular someone sound speakers speech spelled-not Sports Stage 1 Current standard spelling Star style syllable term things Today Toronto Sun traditionally usually Wash William Safire word World writers