Do you cringe when a talking head pronounces “niche” as NITCH? Do you get bent out of shape when your teenager begins a sentence with “and”? Do you think British spellings are more “civilised” than the American versions? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re myth-informed.In Origins of the Specious, word mavens Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman reveal why some of grammar’s best-known “rules” aren’t—and never were—rules at all. This playfull...

Collins Webster’s Easy Learning Grammar is an accessible guide to English grammar and punctuation.With clear, concise explanations on everything from adverbs to word order, and from apostrophes to semicolons, this e-book is indispensable for understanding correct usage.Collins Webster’s Easy Learning Grammar is a uniquely helpful guide to all areas of English grammar and punctuation, providing clear guidance through the intricacies of the English language.Each gramm...

Lynne Truss's 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' injected new life into the long-standing arguments over rights and wrongs in English usage. Now David Crystal brings together his own distinctive style and unique expertise to provide the first thorough-going assessment of the ongoing debate. With a lively, humorous, and accessible approach, Crystal charts the battles past and present, illustrating the characters and attitudes involved from a wide range of written sources. He combines a chronological...

One of the country’s three official languages, New Zealand Sign Language evolved in the communities that grew from networks of Deaf children at three schools for the Deaf from the late nineteenth century. The Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language (1997) now an invaluable online resource at nzsl.vuw.ac.nz and the Concise Dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language (BWB, 2003) were landmarks in documenting the language. A formidable body of scholarly research lies in these volumes, driven by t...

With more than a thousand new entries and more than 2,300 word-frequency ratios, the magisterial fourth edition of this book-now renamed Garner's Modern English Usage (GMEU)-reflects usage lexicography at its finest. Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary with thoroughness, finesse, and wit. He discourages whatever is slovenly, pretentious, or pedantic. GMEU is the liveliest and most compulsively readable reference work for writers of our time. It delights while pro...

Taiwanese Grammar: A Concise Reference is an unprecedented guide delivering clear, straightforward explanations of Taiwanese grammar while offering insightful comparisons to Mandarin Chinese. Designed to be both functional and accessible, the text makes searching for topics quick and easy with fully cross-referenced entries and a comprehensive index.Topics covered range broadly from parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.) to grammatical topics (aspect, negati...

Should I say "He is taller than I" or "He is taller than me?"Do you spell it "blond" or "blonde"?If you’ve ever been stopped in your tracks by questions like these, then this book is for you. A complete pocket guide to the ins and outs of everyday English, The Basics of English Usage will tell you all you need to know about such topics as:correct spellinggood grammar and stylepunctuation and how to use...

Words have come a long way since they were invented as a nifty tool to help us communicate. We have played with them, made up rules for them, added bits to them and taken bits off. We've gathered them into languages, adopted and defined them. The words we use say so much about who we are, yet most of them slip from our mouths without a second thought.The Book of Words is a brief pause for reflection in the ever-changing life of words, a snapshot of the English language and how we u...

An invaluable reference companion that gives guidance on English language, with help on spelling, grammar and usage. Helpful for formal communication, email and letter writing, with practical guidance on usage, style, sentence construction, writing and composing letters.

Publishing your research in an international journal is key to your success in academia. This guide is based on a study of over 1000 manuscripts and reviewers' reports revealing why papers written by non-native researchers are often rejected due to problems with English usage and poor structure and content.With easy-to-follow rules and tips, and examples taken from published and unpublished papers, you will learn how to:prepare and structure a manuscript...

Comprehensive and clear explanations of key grammar patterns and structures arereinforced and contextualized through authentic materials. You will not onlylearn how to construct grammar correctly, but when and where to use it so yousound natural and appropriate. Irish Grammar You Really Need to Know will helpyou gain the intuition you need to become a confident communicator in your newlanguage.

Written specifically for researchers of all disciplines whose first language is not English, this guide presents easy-to-follow rules and tips, along with authentic examples taken from real emails, referees' reports and cover letters, will show you how to:write effective emails (subject lines, structure, requests, level of formality)review other people's manuscriptsreply effectively and constructively to referees' reports