With 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.
“Charming and erudite," from the author of Rationality and Enlightenment Now, "The wit and insight and clarity he brings . . . is what makes this book such a gem.” —Time.com Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better ...
How has the fighting over English usage come about?" "David Crystal charts the clashes from Anglo-Saxon times via the language of Shakespeare and Samuel Johnson to our own time of texting and the greengrocer's apostrophe.
Painstakingly researched with copious citations from books, newspapers, and news magazines, this new edition has become the classic reference work praised by professional copy editors.
An A to Z format for quick reference, suggestions based on current language practice, chart of levels of speech and writing geared to context, descriptive and prescriptive entries, guidelines for nonsexist usage.
Its application to central domains of language structure makes a compelling case that grammar is inherently meaningul. The book holds great interest for linguists, linguistics students, and professionals in related disciplines.