Guide to Canadian English Usage

The complexities of the English language can be daunting for even the most fluent speakers, and for Canadians this is doubly so with the mixture of British and American traditions. Almost anyone engaged in formal writing will sometimes need to consult a usage guide for advice, but Canadians have always been forced to choose between a British or an American source. With the Guide to Canadian English Usage, writers will have an authoritative reference based on Canadian sources who provide pithy direction on numerous details of the language.

From the indefinite article to zoology, alphabetically arranged entries clarify issues of word choice, punctuation, spelling, and abbreviation. Throughout it offers guidance on Canadianisms, confusibles, difficult expressions, First Nation names, foreign phrases, grammar, inclusive language, punctuation, spelling, and troublesome pronunciations. Each entry explains the problem at hand, outlines a range of prescriptions, and then either recommends a particular usage or reviews the alternatives from which the now-informed reader can choose. All entries feature a wide range of fascinating quotations from Canadian sources.

This A-Z guide to the way Canadians use the English language is an essential reference for students, business people, and anyone engaged in formal writing.

Margery Fee is the former Director of the Strathy Language Unit at Queen's University. She currently teaches Canadian and post-colonial literature at the University of British Columbia. Janice McAlpine is the Unit Director of the Strathy Language Unit at Queen's University. Her research interests include English in Canada and corpus lexicography.