Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain EnglishThe witty, bestselling grammar book that taught a nation better English is revised, updated, and e x p a n d e d for the new millennium, with fresh dos and don'ts in every chapter. Plus a word to the wired-a whole new chapter on language in the age of e-mail. Unlike, say, Latin, English is a living language-and, like all living things, it grows, it changes, and it can be messy and confusing. And now Woe Is I has grown and changed too. Here's the latest and greatest on the basics and subtleties of the language from America's beloved grammar guru Patricia T. O'Conner. She's renovated her classic, using plain English to un-tangle the knottiest of problems, skipping the kind of jargon that tempted you to cut your high school English class. Run, don't walk, to your local bookstore. |
Contents
Plurals Before Swine | 19 |
Yours Truly | 37 |
Verbal Abuse | 81 |
The Joy of Punctuation | 133 |
GLOSSARY | 219 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 231 |
Common terms and phrases
acceptable action adding adjective adverb already answer apostrophe appear avoid becomes begin believe better called chapter clause clichés comes comma common confused correct couple course describe dictionary don't drop e-mail English example expression fact figure final follows front give goes grammar happen hard hyphen idea infinitive it's keep kind language less live look marks means mind Miss names negative never NOTE noun object once past period person phrase plural possessive preposition present probably problem pronoun punctuation question reader reason refer rules sense sentence short side simple singular sometimes sound speaking spelling stand starts talking tell tense that's There's things thought tion TOMBSTONE usually verb wear what's who's wish word writing wrong you're