Plain Words: A Guide to the Use of English Contributor(s): Gowers, Ernest (Author), Gowers, Rebecca (Revised by) |
|
ISBN: 0241960347 ISBN-13: 9780241960349 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $19.79 Product Type: Paperback Published: October 2015 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Style Manuals - Language Arts & Disciplines | Writing - General - Language Arts & Disciplines | Grammar & Punctuation |
Dewey: 808 |
Physical Information: 0.9" H x 5" W x 7.7" (0.55 lbs) 320 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: 'Be short, be simple, be human.' When Sir Ernest Gowers first wrote Plain Words, it was intended simply as a guide to the proper use of English for the Civil Service. Within a year, however, its humour, charm and authority had made it a bestseller. Since then it has never been out of print. Six decades on, writer Rebecca Gowers has created a new edition of this now-classic work that both revises and celebrates her great-grandfather's original. Plain Words has been updated to reflect numerous changes in English usage, yet Sir Ernest's distinctive, witty voice is undimmed. And his message remains vital: our writing should be as clear and comprehensible as possible, avoiding superfluous words and clich s - from the jargon of 'commercialese' to the murky euphemisms of politicians. In a new preface, this edition draws on an extensive private archive, previously hidden away in family cupboards and attics, to tell the story behind a book that has become an institution: the essential guide to making yourself understood. |