The first edition of Garner's Modern American Usage established Bryan Garner as "an American equivalent of Fowler" (Library Journal). With more than 23,500 copies sold, this witty, accessible, and engaging book has become the new classic reference work praised by professional copyeditors as well as the general public looking for clear advice on how to write more effectively. In 1999, Choice magazine named it an Outstanding Academic Book and the American Library Association dubbed it an Outstanding Reference Source. With thousands of succinct entries, longer essays on key issues and problematic areas, and up-to-the-minute judgments on everything from trendy words to the debate over personal pronouns, GMAU is approachable yet authoritative. Since the book first appeared in 1998, Bryan Garner has diligently continued tracking how we use our language. The second edition includes hundreds of new entries ranging from Dubya to weaponize (coined in 1984 but used extensively since 9/11) to foot-and-mouth, plethora (a "highfalutin equivalent of too many"), Slang, Standard English, and Dialects. It also updates hundreds of existing entries. Meanwhile, Garner has written a major essay on the great grammar debate between descriptivists and prescriptivists. Painstakingly researched with copious citations from books and newspapers and newsmagazines, this new edition furthers Garner's mission to help everyone become a better writer, and to enjoy it in the process.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

An indispensable reference:

Garner's is an indispensable reference book for any editor, proofreader, or writer. Because usage changes over time, staying up to date with such books is not an option. A well-done volume all around.

A Must-Have for English Writers and Struggling Advanced Speakers:

This book has enough interesting information that it's actually readable by itself in the way an encyclopedia can sometimes quench a thirst for the answering of lingering questions and the filling of holes in one's education. As a reference manual on proper, or rather, expected professional modern usage, it's amazingly useful. The system of grading usage and the examples provided of misuse in professional publications authenticates the work that went into making this amazing book. Be warned that as you read... more info

Improvements Make A Great Reference Even Better:

This is Bryan Garner's third edition of his already classic Modern American Usage, and it has an enhancement that makes it his best yet. He rates usages by stages to inform the user how widespread each has become. Thus, if you are wondering whether "factoid" in the sense of "an interesting bit of trivia" is so widely used as to be accepted as standard, he will let you know. Purists, of course, would quibble, because adding "oid" to a word "generally denotes a resemblance to something but not the thing... more info

Offers a new feature: a "Language-Change Index" which registers where each disputed usage in modern English falls:

Now in a significantly expanded and thoroughly up-dated third edition, "Garner's Modern American Usage" continues to hold title to being a superb guide to the effective use of the English language in contemporary society. Of special note is the inclusion of a language-change index based on grammarian, lexicographer, and editor Bryan A. Garner's original research, along with contributions drawn from a panel of more than 120 commentators helping to assess and update the text for virtually every entry. Of... more info

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