The Cambridge Guide to English Usage

Within the A-Z arrangement of brief, to-the-point articles, entries on catalogue and catalog, dived and dove, fitted and fit, freshman and fresher, titbit and tidbit celebrate transatlantic differences, some rather subtle, others more pointed. Peters draws on a range of authorities for her judgments on usage. Those include large databases, such as the 140-million-word Cambridge International Corpus of American English, and other usage guides from throughout the English-speaking world. In line with the most recent of these other handbooks, as well as the irrefutable evidence of present usage, Peters takes a descriptive rather than prescriptive approach. Her analytical discussions of parts of speech, grammatical concepts and constructs, and the like explain the origins of rules but also provide contemporary and historical examples of how usage tempers some rules.

Like other manuals that explain the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy, the lack of meaningful difference between further and farther, the confused state between inquire and enquire, the divergence of salutary and salutatory from their common root, and recent introductions such as emoticons, Cambridge provides sound advice for those who want to understand the English language and use it effectively. More than other manuals, it describes the way in which some usages have a local habitation rather than global recognition.

Considering the abundance of peculiarities and challenges in English usage, Cambridge will strengthen even a library well stocked with other guides. It is a serious book for those serious about language. Those who also enjoy the playfulness of English will continue to appreciate the complementary Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style (Penguin, 2000) and its sometimes witty examples. REVWR
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目录
Preface; Overview of contents and how to access them; A to Z entries; Appendix I. International Phonetic Alphabet symbols of English sounds; Appendix II. Geological eras; Appendix III. Perpetual calendar 1901-2008; Appendix IV. International system of units (SI units); Appendix V. Interconversion tables for metric and imperial measures; Appendix VI. Selected proofreading marks; Appendix VII. Formats and styles for letters, memos and e-mail; Appendix VIII. Layout for envelopes; Appendix IX. Currencies of the world; Bibliography.
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