THE CAREFUL WRITER: A Modern Guide to English Usage

by Theodore M. Bernstein ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 19, 1965

The interest here is in the written rather than the spoken word. The aim is good writing which will ""assure that the writer is really in communication with the reader."" The author draws from the practices of reputable writers, the observations and discoveries of scholars, the predilections of teachers of English, and from his own experience as a New York Times-man (he is assistant managing editor) to provide a reference directed to clarity, precision, and logical presentation. He gives the correct usage of parts of speech, punctuation, makes those difficult distinctions between affect and effect, can and may, breaks down the barrier between shall and will with Churchill to back him. He turns condemnatory on the subject of ain't (""The writer who doesn't know that ain't is illiterate has no business writing"") and on windyfoggery (obfuscation intentional or otherwise). The book also includes a section on rhetorical figures and faults. More streamlined than the Evans and Nicholson reference dictionaries, this is tutorial in tone, orthodox but contemporary in content. A sound aid.

Pub Date: July 19, 1965

ISBN: 0684826321

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1965

Categories: NONFICTION