American Usage and Style: The Consensus

by Roy H. Copperud

Book Overview

If there is any agreement among authorities on the English language, it is that there is often disagreement on the use and meaning of words. American Usage and Style removes confusion about these... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0442249063
• ISBN13: 9780442249069
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company
• Length: 433 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Proper English usage -- with an attitude!

Copperud's book really should be back in print. He did a wonderful job of reviewing many grammar and usage guides and determining the consensus among them. The best part is that he's assembled all of this into a surprisingly readable book -- and colored it all with a slightly curmudgeonly tone. He, not David Brinkley, should have titled his book Everyone is Entitled to My Opinion! He knows what's right and he's not afraid to let you know that he knows it.Among my favorite sections is the one dealing with the phrase "on line" -- the waiting in a queue for a movie one, not the electronic one. Copperud says that this is "a provincial expression" from New York City. Everyone else in the English-speaking world (or at least in the U.S.!) says "I waited *in* line for an hour to get tickets for Titanic."Losing this book was a real tragedy for me. I relied on it a lot.