konan
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The A to Z of:Introduction
Correct
English
ANGELA BURT
2nd edit ion
howtobooks
English
ANGELA BURT
2nd edit ion
howtobooks
Introduction
The A–Z of Correct English is a reference book which has been
written for the student and the general reader. It aims to tackle the
basic questions about spelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage
that the student and the general reader are likely to ask.
Throughout the book there are clear explanations, and exemplar
sentences where they are needed. When it’s helpful to draw
attention to spelling rules and patterns, these are given so that the
reader is further empowered to deal with hundreds of related words.
The aim always has been to make the reader more confident and
increasingly self-reliant.
This is a fast-track reference book. It is not a dictionary although,
like a dictionary, it is arranged alphabetically. It concentrates on
problem areas; it anticipates difficulties; it invites cross-references. By
exploring punctuation, for example, and paragraphing, it goes far
beyond a dictionary’s terms of reference. It is not intended to
replace a dictionary; it rather supplements it.
Once, in an evening class, one of my adult students said, ‘If
there’s a right way to spell a word, I want to know it.’ On another
occasion, at the end of a punctuation session on possessive
apostrophes, a college student said rather angrily, ‘Why wasn’t I told
this years ago?’
This book has been written to answer all the questions that my
students over the years have needed to ask. I hope all who now use
it will have their questions answered also and enjoy the confidence
and the mastery that this will bring.
Angela Burt
v
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How to use this book
For ease of reference, all the entries in this book have been listed
alphabetically rather than being divided into separate spelling, usage,
punctuation and grammar sections.
You will therefore find hypocrisy following hyphens;
paragraphing following paraffin; who or whom? following
whiskey or whisky?; and so on.
WANT TO CHECK A SPELLING?
Cross-referencing will help you locate words with tricky initial
letters.
aquaint Wrong spelling. See ACQUAINT.
Plural words are given alongside singular nouns, with crossreferencing
to relevant rules and patterns.
knife (singular) knives (plural). See PLURALS (v).
There is also a general section on plurals and another on foreign
plurals.
If it’s the complication of adding an ending that is causing you
trouble, you will find some words listed with a useful crossreference.
dining or dinning? dine + ing = dining (as in dining room)
din + ing = dinning (noise dinning in ears)
See ADDING ENDINGS (i) and (ii).
There are individual entries for confusing endings like -able/-ible;
-ance,-ant/-ence,-ent; -cal/-cle; -ise or -ize? and for confusing
beginnings like ante-/anti-; for-/fore-; hyper-/hypo-; inter-/intraand
many others.