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The Columbia guide to standard American English

The most reliable and entertaining guide to effective writing and speaking for Americans today, Kenneth Wilson's Columbia Guide to Standard American English belongs on the desk of everyone who uses our ever-changing language. This book will help you write and speak clearly and appropriately for a full range of purposes and audiences. Unlike most writers on English usage (who so often reflect British practices) Wilson focuses on American English. In addition, this guide is the first to present a systematic, comprehensive view of our language - both spoken and written - as influenced by context. It provides the answers to such troublesome questions as: should we split an infinitive? Should we say hopefully? Should we end a sentence with a preposition? May we say can instead of may? Wilson's answer most often begins "That depends on the context." Even confident writers and accomplished speakers encounter tricky questions of usage. For example, what prepositions correctly follow the adjective different? What is the difference between bring and take? Wilson answers such questions - about word choice, meanings, pronunciations, spellings, grammatical forms and structures, and idiomatic expressions - in thousands of clear and concise entries. The Columbia Guide to American English offers readily accessible advice about American English by providing an A to Z format for quick reference; over 6,500 lively entries, more than any other usage book; sensible and useful suggestions based on current language practices; a convenient chart of levels of speech and writing geared to context; both descriptive and prescriptive entries for guidance, with thousands of examples; guidelines for nonsexist usage. A vigorous assessment of how, at the end of the twentieth century, our language is best written and spoken and how we can use it most effectively, The Columbia Guide to Standard American English is the ideal handbook of language etiquette - friendly, sensible, reliable, and fun to read.

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