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* Benjamin George Friedman, The Times Literary Supplement * Jeremy Butterfield has given us easily the best edition of this beloved work since H. W. Fowler's original. ", Henry W. Fowler's, Modern English Usage is the style guide upon which other style guides are based on. He was also the author, with his brother Francis, of The King's English (1906) and the first edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary (1911).

The original 'Fowler' was Henry Watson Fowler (1858-1933), a teacher and writer.

He is also the author of the popular book on the English language, Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare (2009), as well as the Oxford A-Z of English Usage (2013).

Should you. (c) Copyright Oxford University Press, 2013. the first edition of this was published in 1926. written by a genius named Henry Fowler, it is a legendary masterpiece of wit, erudition, and inscrutable insight into how to write well. ), A useful - and also very enjoyable - reference book, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2018. All Rights Reserved. Much of its value lies in the way that it explains, in simple, easy to understand terms, why certain rules exist as well as the meanings of words. But these are hidden in a mass of detail.

For many years he worked in senior editorial positions in Collins Dictionaries.  US$16.95, US$16.45 He opposed pedantry, and ridiculed artificial grammar rules unwarranted by natural English usage, such as bans on split infinitives and on ending a sentence with a preposition; rules on the placement of the word only; and rules distingu…

Just plain fun to read.

For anyone who cares about the English language, this book will provide helpful guidance and fascinating distraction in equal measure.

This book has a few gems to educate the reader on the history of usage and to correct some common misunderstandings and mistakes. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. In the entries "Pedantic Humour" and "Polysyllabic Humour" Fowler mocked the use of arcane words (archaisms) and the use of unnecessarily long words. A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Start by marking “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase.

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage : H. W. Fowler : But all these things are graceful in emglish friend’s mouth which are blushing in a man’s own.

 US$15.50, US$6.02  US$9.99, US$15.92

Hence, the 1926 first edition remains in print, along with the 1965 second edition, edited by Ernest Gowers, which was reprinted in 1983 and 1987. * The Herald, Alan Taylor * Butterfield has created a guide that is readable for entertainment as well as enlightenment.

The second edition, titled Fowler's Modern English Usage, was published in 1965, revised and edited by Ernest Gowers.

For many years he worked in senior editorial positions in Collins English and Bilingual Dictionaries. It is not accurate to say that I have "read" this entire book but I have been using it fairly extensively since I acquired it in 1991 as part of an 8 volume leather bound set from Easton Press called the "Complete Oxford Reference Set."

This present book accordingly contains none of his actual writing; but, having been designed in consultation with him, it is the last fruit of a partnership that began in 1903 with our translation of Lucian.

the latest edition, while more accurate, lacks some of the curmudgeonly editorializing that earlier editions had. The few more flavourful entries that I was able to search for in a 1996 edition were either non-existent or effectively bowdlerised. PRINTED FROM OXFORD REFERENCE (www.oxfordreference.com).  US$15.95, US$18.34 The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff, US$56.61

This page was last edited on 16 July 2020, at 03:14. You could spend hours flipping from entry to entry -- especially since many of the entries make reference to others -- discovering all the mistakes you've been making in … In short, this most elegant, most essential of all English usage books will not only help you refine your writing, think more clearly, and bring you generally closer to heaven, but provide you with hours of entertaining reading as well.

“Pretentious quotations [are] the surest road to tedium.”. Please enter manually:","bd_js_keep_typing_to_refine_search_results":"Keep typing to refine the search results","bd_js_top_categories":"Top Categories","bd_price_save":"Save {0}","bd_js_name_only_letters":"Sorry, full name can only contain letters","bd_js_show_more":"show more","bd_js_enter_valid_email_address":"Please enter a valid email address","bd_js_enter_address_manually":"Enter address manually","bd_js_more_categories":"More Categories","bd_js_continue_shopping":"Continue Shopping","bd_js_account_and_help":"Account & Help","bd_js_basket_checkout":"Basket / Checkout","bd_add_to_basket":"Add to basket","bd_js_enter_first_last_name":"Please enter a first and last name","bd_js_please_enter_your":"Please enter your"}, Hardback Fowler's "Modern English Usage" is one of those books that really has no business existing: a reference guide that's fun to read.

 US$22.50, US$19.80 If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code. Why literally shouldn't be taken literally. editor Fowler, Henry; Winchester, Simon (introduction) (2003 reprint). Based on the evidence and research of the Oxford Dictionaries Programme, this is the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to usage available. Prime members enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping, Free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery to select areas, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and more. In A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Henry W. Fowler's general approach encourages a direct, vigorous writing style, and opposes all artificiality, by firmly advising against convoluted sentence construction, the use of foreign words and phrases, and the use of archaisms.

International in scope, the Dictionary provides in-depth coverage of both British and American English usage, with reference also to the English of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. He had a nimbler wit, a better sense of proportion, and a more open mind, than his twelve-year-older partner; and it is a matter of regret that we had not, at a certain point, arranged our undertakings otherwise than we did. This invaluable quick-reference work, based on the latest edition of the renowned Fowler’s Concise Dictionary of Modern English Usage, offers the best available advice on English usage in an accessible quick-reference format. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies.  US$23.25, US$26.58 In A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Henry W. Fowler’s general approach encourages a direct, vigorous writing style, and opposes all artificiality, by firmly advising against convoluted sentence construction, the use of foreign words and phrases, and the use of archaisms.  US$44.00, US$27.55 He is also the author of the popular book on the English language, Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare (2009), as well as the Oxford A-Z of English Usage (2013).  US$131.95, US$12.89

Jeremy Butterfield, editor Jeremy Butterfield is a freelance lexicographer, language expert and writer, and an OUP author. He opposed pedantry, and ridiculed artificial grammar rules unwarranted by natural English usage, such as bans on ending a sentence with a preposition; rules on the placement of the word only; and rules distinguishing between which and that. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience.

I have to agree with the more erudite reviews already posted: in some ways, this is a 5-star work. But these are hidden in a mass of detail.

Fowler's Dictionary of Mo...

PRINTED FROM OXFORD REFERENCE (www.oxfordreference.com). This world-famous guide to the English language has been cherished and consulted by writers, editors, academics, and anyone who values good writing, for its practical and reasoned guidance on grammar, style, punctuation, spelling, and word choice since it first appeared in 1926. The 1926 edition was riveting, the sort of prose that seduces your snarky mind and infects your dreams. You can intend to just look one thing up, and end up spending half an hour browsing through various entries. He is the author of the popular book on the English language, Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare (2009), as well as the, The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, The Globe and Mail Style Book, Ninth edition: A Guide to Language and Usage. It seems to be a poor scan of the text, which no one ever bothered to proofread.

in the latest Meanjin mentions that as a young journalist, he read a page of Fowler's a day.  US$49.95, US$14.13 It is one of the pleasures of his peerless Dictionary of Modern English Usage that, as astonishing as it may seem, its entries—an A-to-Z of questions of grammar, syntax, style, and the choice, formation, and pronunciation of words—reveal their author to be a man of good humor and good cheer. If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code. has been added to your Cart.

It’s really enjoyable to dip into, as well as being a useful reference work.

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Bigger than ever, and full of entries for some very modern up-to-date words, some common (podcast) and others not so common (wilfing, anyone?

 US$8.99, US$9.12 To create our... A Dictionary of Modern English Usage is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing.

Animated throughout with brief humorous essays (tr.

It's a great reference book of course, but I love the dry humour when he advises against certain usage.

 US$45.00, US$12.35 This was a Christmas gift and the friend receiving it was delighted. Drawing on the unrivalled resources of Oxford’s English Dictionaries language monitoring programme, it provides clear, practical and up-to-date guidance on questions of grammar, spelling, style, and word choice.  US$17.99, US$17.57 Is it OK to spell OK okay? This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed.

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A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing.