About this product

Product Information

Fasten your seat belt for a crash course in careful usage.... Just like automobile accidents, accidents of style occur all over the English-speaking world, in print and on the Internet, thousands of times every day. They range from minor fender benders, such as confusing their and there, to serious smashups, such as misusing sensual for sensuous or writing loathe when you mean loath . Charles Harrington Elster shows you how to navigate the hairpin turns of grammar, diction, spelling, and punctuation with an entertaining driver's manual covering 350 common word hazards and infractions, arranged in order of complexity for writers of all levels. Elster illustrates these surprisingly common accidents with quotations from numerous print and online publications, many of them highly regarded---which perhaps should make us feel better: If the horrendous redundancy close proximity and the odious construction what it is, is have appeared in The New York Times, maybe our own accidents will be forgiven. But that shouldn't keep us from aspiring to accident-free writing and speaking. If you want to get on the road to writing well, The Accidents of Style will help you drive home what you want to say.

Product Identifiers

PublisherST. Martin's Press

ISBN-100312613008

ISBN-139780312613006

eBay Product ID (ePID)80143657

Product Key Features

Number of Pages304 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication NameAccidents of Style : Good Advice on How Not to Write Badly

Publication Year2010

SubjectStyle Manuals, Grammar & Punctuation

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaLanguage Arts & Disciplines

AuthorCharles Harrington Elster

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.8 in

Item Weight3.5 Oz

Item Length8.2 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN2010-012012

Dewey Edition22

ReviewsCharles Elster shines a bright light on 350 major potholes, pitfalls, and pratfalls that pock the road of writing. His sage advice on how to avoid writing badly points the reader in the direction of a smoother journey toward writing well."---Richard Lederer, author ofAnguished EnglishandThe Write Way"The Accidents of Style is eminently readable. And if you're one of us who can't always remember the difference between eminently and imminently—and more than 350 other thorny usage questions—you'll want to buy it and keep it near. It is useful, nuanced—and funny, too."--Constance Hale, author ofSin and Syntax , "Charles Elster shines a bright light on 350 major potholes, pitfalls, and pratfalls that pock the road of writing. His sage advice on how to avoid writing badly points the reader in the direction of a smoother journey toward writing well."---Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English and The Write Way "This book is perfect for people who want to take their prose from the pothole-filled side streets to the Autobahn. You'll learn how to avoid errors, barbarisms, redundancies, and other drags on your style. It's an essential addition to any language lover's collection. After I read it, I felt like I'd just had my writing engines tuned by a master mechanic. The Accidents of Style is essential for anyone who's serious about the written word."--Martha Brockenbrough, author of Things That Make Us (Sic) "The Accidents of Style is eminently readable. And if you're one of us who can't always remember the difference between eminently and imminently-and more than 350 other thorny usage questions-you'll want to buy it and keep it near. It is useful, nuanced-and funny, too."--Constance Hale, author of Sin and Syntax , Charles Elster shines a bright light on 350 major potholes, pitfalls, and pratfalls that pock the road of writing. His sage advice on how to avoid writing badly points the reader in the direction of a smoother journey toward writing well."---Richard Lederer, author ofAnguished EnglishandThe Write WayThis book is perfect for people who want to take their prose from the pothole-filled side streets to the Autobahn. You'll learn how to avoid errors, barbarisms, redundancies, and other drags on your style. It's an essential addition to any language lover's collection. After I read it, I felt like I'd just had my writing engines tuned by a master mechanic.The Accidents of Styleis essential for anyone who's serious about the written word."--Martha Brockenbrough, author ofThings That Make Us (Sic)"The Accidents of Style is eminently readable. And if you're one of us who can't always remember the difference between eminently and imminently—and more than 350 other thorny usage questions—you'll want to buy it and keep it near. It is useful, nuanced—and funny, too."--Constance Hale, author ofSin and Syntax , "Charles Elster shines a bright light on 350 major potholes, pitfalls, and pratfalls that pock the road of writing. His sage advice on how to avoid writing badly points the reader in the direction of a smoother journey toward writing well." -- Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English and The Write Way "This book is perfect for people who want to take their prose from the pothole-filled side streets to the Autobahn. You'll learn how to avoid errors, barbarisms, redundancies, and other drags on your style. It's an essential addition to any language lover's collection. After I read it, I felt like I'd just had my writing engines tuned by a master mechanic. The Accidents of Style is essential for anyone who's serious about the written word." -- Martha Brockenbrough, author of Things That Make Us (Sic) "The Accidents of Style is eminently readable. And if you're one of us who can't always remember the difference between eminently and imminently--and more than 350 other thorny usage questions--you'll want to buy it and keep it near. It is useful, nuanced--and funny, too." -- Constance Hale, author of Sin and Syntax, The Accidents of Style is eminently readable. And if you're one of us who can't always remember the difference between eminently and imminently--and more than 350 other thorny usage questions--you'll want to buy it and keep it near. It is useful, nuanced--and funny, too., This book is perfect for people who want to take their prose from the pothole-filled side streets to the Autobahn. You'll learn how to avoid errors, barbarisms, redundancies, and other drags on your style. It's an essential addition to any language lover's collection. After I read it, I felt like I'd just had my writing engines tuned by a master mechanic. The Accidents of Style is essential for anyone who's serious about the written word., Charles Elster shines a bright light on 350 major potholes, pitfalls, and pratfalls that pock the road of writing. His sage advice on how to avoid writing badly points the reader in the direction of a smoother journey toward writing well., "Charles Elster shines a bright light on 350 major potholes, pitfalls, and pratfalls that pock the road of writing. His sage advice on how to avoid writing badly points the reader in the direction of a smoother journey toward writing well."---Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English and The Write Way "This book is perfect for people who want to take their prose from the pothole-filled side streets to the Autobahn. You'll learn how to avoid errors, barbarisms, redundancies, and other drags on your style. It's an essential addition to any language lover's collection. After I read it, I felt like I'd just had my writing engines tuned by a master mechanic. The Accidents of Style is essential for anyone who's serious about the written word."--Martha Brockenbrough, author of Things That Make Us (Sic) "The Accidents of Style is eminently readable. And if you're one of us who can't always remember the difference between eminently and imminently--and more than 350 other thorny usage questions--you'll want to buy it and keep it near. It is useful, nuanced--and funny, too."--Constance Hale, author of Sin and Syntax

Dewey Decimal428

Intended AudienceTrade

Lc Classification NumberPe1460.E37 2010

The Accidents of Style : Good Advice on How Not to Write Badly by Charles Harrington Elster (2010, Trade Paperback)