The Cambridge Guide to English Usage

An up-to-date, accessible A-Z guide to style and usage in international English.

Pam Peters (Author)

9780521621816, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 April 2004

622 pages
24.9 x 18 x 4.6 cm, 1.41 kg

'The Cambridge Guide to English Usage will answer … thousands of … questions on usage …' Writer's News

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage is an A-Z reference book, giving an up-to-date account of the debatable issues of English usage and written style. Its advice draws on a wealth of recent research and data from very large corpora of American and British English - illuminating their many divergences and also points of convergence on which international English can be based. The book comprises more than 4000 points of word meaning, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and larger issues of inclusive language, and effective writing and argument. It also provides guidance on grammatical terminology, and covers topics in electronic communication and the internet. The discussion notes the major dictionaries, grammars and usage books in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia, allowing readers to calibrate their own practices as required. CGEU is descriptive rather than prescriptive, but offers a principled basis for implementing progressive or more conservative decisions on usage.

Preface
Overview of contents and how to access them
A to Z entries
Appendix I. International Phonetic Alphabet symbols of English sounds
Appendix II. Geological eras
Appendix III. Perpetual calendar 1901–2008
Appendix IV. International system of units (SI units)
Appendix V. Interconversion tables for metric and imperial measures
Appendix VI. Selected proofreading marks
Appendix VII. Formats and styles for letters, memos and e-mail
Appendix VIII. Layout for envelopes
Appendix IX. Currencies of the world
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: English language teaching [ELT E], Linguistics [CF], Usage & grammar guides [CBG]