One day in the life of the English language : a microcosmic usage handbook

著者

書誌事項

One day in the life of the English language : a microcosmic usage handbook

Frank L. Cioffi

Princeton University Press, c2015

  • : hardcover

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注記

Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-349) and index

内容説明・目次

内容説明

Generations of student writers have been subjected to usage handbooks that proclaim, "This is the correct form. Learn it"--books that lay out a grammar, but don't inspire students to use it. By contrast, this antihandbook handbook, presenting some three hundred sentences drawn from the printed works of a single, typical day in the life of the language--December 29, 2008--tries to persuade readers that good grammar and usage matter. Using real-world sentences rather than invented ones, One Day in the Life of the English Language gives students the motivation to apply grammatical principles correctly and efficiently. Frank Cioffi argues that proper form undergirds effective communication and ultimately even makes society work more smoothly, while nonstandard English often marginalizes or stigmatizes a writer. He emphasizes the evolving nature of English usage and debunks some cherished but flawed grammar precepts. Is it acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition? It is. Can you start a sentence with a conjunction? You can. OK to split an infinitive? No problem. A grammar and usage handbook like no other, One Day in the Life of the English Language features accessible chapters divided into "Fundamentals," "Fine Tuning," and "Deep Focus," allowing readers to select a level most suited to their needs. It also includes a glossary, a teachers' guide, and a section refuting some myths about digital-age English.

目次

Preface xi Navigation Tips xix Introduction The Starting Idea: You and Your Audience 1 Preview of the Following Pages 7 December 29, 2008, as History 10 Two Disclaimers 20 On Using Sentences from the Real World 23 Formal Usage-Its Rules and Value 31 "If you don't have grammar, you don't have sense" 40 1Actants, Actions, Ongoing States: Nouns, Verbs, and the Sentences They Form Why Learn the Parts of Speech? 45 Fundamentals 49 Fine Tuning 56 Deep Focus 71 2Words That Modify and Orient: Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Prepositions, Articles, Interjections The Power of Small Words Well Deployed 88 Adjectives 89 Adverbs 99 Conjunctions 114 Prepositions 123 Articles 128 Interjections 133 3Who Is He/She? Pronouns A Whole Chapter on Pronouns? 134 Fundamentals 135 Fine Tuning 150 Deep Focus 160 4Punctuation, Part I-The Comma: Promiscuous Uses Introduction: Punctuation Substitutes for Oral Emphases, Facial Expressions, and Body Language 167 Fundamentals 169 Fine Tuning 193 Deep Focus 200 5Punctuation, Part II-The Colon, Semicolon, and More Mysteries of Punctuation The Colon and Semicolon 207 The Apostrophe 217 The Dash 228 The Quotation Mark 232 End Punctuation and Combining Sentences 241 6Diction: Sentences as Clockwork On the Interconnectedness of Words 254 Fundamentals 258 A Microconclusion 286 Appendix I: Fifteen Myths of Digital-Age English 293 Appendix II: Using This Book to Teach College Writing: A Microguide 301 Fifty Key Terms: A Microglossary 317 Works Cited General Sources 329 December 29, 2008, Examples 335 Index 351

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