The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English: A Guide to Righting Wrongs

Publication of a fourth edition of this popular reference guide only eighteen months after the appearance of the third is occasioned by the accelerating pace of change in the interaction of the world of writing with the electronic world; the chapter on using computers has now been expanded to provide coverage of such issues as referencing Internet sources and following guidelines of 'netiquette.' As in previous editions, this book offers full coverage of such common mistakes as comma splices, sentence fragments, words frequently confused, words frequently misspelled, mixed metaphors, and subject-verb agreement errors. In each case the problem is clearly explained, with examples illustrating both the nature of the trouble and how to put it right. In addition to the updates for the fourth edition the chapters have been re-ordered and the book is produced with a lay-flat binding. And there is a new preface dealing at greater length than previously with the issue of what constitutes correctness in English. Unlike many guides to grammar and usage, 'Common Errors in English' refrains from dogmatism; it treats correctness in English not as an unchanging objective standard laden with moral overtones, but rather as a code of convenience that is extraordinarily useful in helping humans to communicate effectively and even elgantly. It thus retains an openness to the inevitable process of change in the English language, and recognizes that change does not always imply debasment.