Synopsis
Follett, Wilson, Modern American Usage: A Guide
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Erik Wensberg has worked as an editor at Esquire and The New York Times Book Review, and has taught nonfiction writing at Columbia University.
Review
Nobody has discussed these matters with greater lucidity and concision (another linguistic virtue) than Wilson Follett.... You cannot read Modern American Usage in one or two sittings: This is a handbook to be perused for pleasure as well as instruction a few pages at a time, to be savored for its common sense and its many fine positive and negative examples. And, of course, to be consulted as the need arises. -- The Wall Street Journal, John Simon
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Modern American Usage : A Guide
Published by
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1966
ISBN 10: 0809069504
ISBN 13: 9780809069507
Used
Softcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 2512031-75
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0809069504I3N01
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: Basement Seller 101, Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # 251220103
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: HPB Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_453186000
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: Redux Books, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Hardcover with dust jacket. Pages are clean and unmarked. Covers show very minor shelving wear. Binding is tight, hinges strong. Dust jacket shows light edge wear.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Ships same or next business day! Seller Inventory # 132408060067
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Modern American Usage
Seller: Library House Internet Sales, Grand Rapids, OH, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. The American language has changed since Modern American Usage was first published in 1966, but many usage manuals still focus on describing these changes rather than prescribing the rules that help us understand them. This revised edition brings back into use the one American manual that unashamedly declares that we should all aspire to be best in our language - which is often the simplest. The convenient alphabetical format of Modern American Usage - along with hundreds of cross-references - allows the reader to zero in on troubling words & phrases without having to know whether the problem is one of grammar, style, or syntax. The careful writer will learn how to sidestep the vague, the wordy, the counterfeit, the technical, & the pedantic. With verve & eloquence, the author of the revised edition fends off such guff as "valid priorities," "hands-on agendas," "closure," & all that is "basically viable." He takes account of a generation of changes in American idiom & of attempts to reform the use of pronouns, titles, & phrases to fit shifting ideas of social justice. The result is a book that speaks with easy learning & humor, & will prove valuable for both the experienced writer & the newcomer to our language. Due to age and/or environmental conditions, the pages of this book have darkened. Former library book. Foxing is present on one or more pages. Moderate edgewear on the boards. Binding is moderately loose. Moderate shelf wear. Badly faded due to exposure to sunlight. Please note the image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item. Ex-Library. Seller Inventory # 123613230
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Modern American Usage - A Guide
Seller: Bookshop Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: G. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Third Printing. 436 pages. Book is in very good condition. Name inside. NOT an ex-library book. Edited and compiled by Jacques Barzun. Includes a Lexicon, Appendices. Seller Inventory # 11333
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: Books End Bookshop, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Trade Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good+. Some wear and nicking to bottom of DJ. Light wear. Seller Inventory # 1038226
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: Code X Books, Potomac, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. A classic since its first edition in 1966, Modern American Usage has been called a book that "every literate American ought to read." This one-volume course in good writing brims with helpful answers?large and small?for readers who want to use English clearly, naturally, and correctly. Alphabetical for easy consulting (and full of cross-references), the book carries the reader to the entry that explains a troublesome word or phrase?and shows how to use or avoid it. Every page offers natural ways to avoid saying or writing the vague, the long-winded, the needlessly technical, and the hopelessly stale. With verve and eloquence, Erik Wensberg spears the empty words that clog clear thought?"impact," "frustrated," "basically," and many more?and offers us good English words that are definite and have more life. Trade edition. This is a used book. Pages are clean and bright with no markings, notes, or highlighting. Page edges show light foxing. Covers show only minor shelf wear; front panel shows a crease. No owner's marks or bookplates, not ex-library. Binding is tight and square. Corners slightly bumped. An excellent reading copy. Seller Inventory # M1110
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Modern American Usage: A Guide
Seller: R Bookmark, Youngtown, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Used - Acceptable. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. Boards have shelf wear. Dust jacket has shelf wear. Seller Inventory # 255711