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Dreyer's English : an utterly correct guide to clarity and style Cover Image

Dreyer's English : an utterly correct guide to clarity and style / Benjamin Dreyer.

Dreyer, Benjamin, (author.).

Summary:

Authoritative as it is amusing, this book distills everything Benjamin Dreyer has learned from the hundreds of books he has copyedited, including works by Elizabeth Strout, E. L. Doctorow, and Frank Rich, into a useful guide not just for writers but for everyone who wants to put their best foot forward in writing prose. Dreyer offers lessons on the ins and outs of punctuation and grammar, including how to navigate the words he calls 'the confusables,' like tricky homophones; the myriad ways to use (and misuse) a comma; and how to recognize -- though not necessarily do away with -- the passive voice. (Hint: If you can plausibly add 'by zombies' to the end of a sentence, it's passive.) People are sharing their writing more than ever -- on blogs, on Twitter -- and this book lays out, clearly and comprehensibly, everything writers can do to keep readers focused on the real reason writers write: to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. Chock-full of advice, insider wisdom, and fun facts on the rules (and nonrules) of the English language.

Record details

ISBN: 9780812995701
ISBN: 0812995708
Physical Description: xviii, 291 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Random House, [2019]
Copyright: ©2019

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Introduction: By way of introduction -- The life-changing magic of tidying up (your prose) -- Rules and nonrules -- 67 assorted things to do (or not to do) with punctuation -- 1, 2, 3, go: The treatment of numbers -- Foreign affairs -- A little grammar is a dangerous thing -- The realities of fiction -- Notes on, amid a list of, frequently and/or easily misspelled words -- Peeves and crotchets -- The confusables -- Notes on proper nouns -- The trimmables -- The miscellany --Outro: By way of conclusion -- Things I like.
Target Audience Note:	1130L Lexile