Who Cares About English Usage?: Second Edition

by David Crystal (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2000

  $3.62

  A revised edition of David Crystal's classic guide surveying some of the more amusing controversies within the English language. Written with much common sense, a sharp eye and keen wit, WHO CARES ABOUT ENGLISH USAGE will equip any reader with the skills and sensitivity to use language as a powerful tool - rather than being thwarted by its many idiosyncracies.

• Used

  Paperback
  1985

  $3.25

  Why do we all employ filler phrases like sort of and you know ? what is the difference between attractive and not attractive ? when is a preposition the correct word to end a sentence with? and can it ever be acceptable to boldly split an infinitive? Many people care deeply about English usage, and many more are concerned about making mistakes. In this classic guide, David Crystal surveys the key controversies with wit, common sense, some entertaining quizzes and linguist's sharp insight into the ways we actually speak and write. He explores the dispute about the word dispute - is it pronounced DIS-pute or dis-PUTE ? - the fate of the letter T in often , and the best way of referring to the, er, bathroom. Language, he argues, should be a tool and not our master, and it is always profoundly marked by social trends such as changing gender roles. Hopefully (if that's the right word), we can all acquire greater linguistic sensitivity without imposing on ourselves a strait-jacket of rigid conformity. This book offers both reassurance and help.