errors of usage

Humorous academic course review of English grammar. Breaks the subject into small, understandable steps. Covers parts of speech, verb tenses, and simple, compound, and complex sentences.

"Are standards of English alright--or should that be all right? To knowingly split an infinitive or not to? And what about ending a sentence with preposition, or for that matter beginning one with "and"? We learn language by instinct, but good English, the pedants tell us, requires rules. Yet, as Oliver Kamm cleverly demonstrates in this new book, many of the purists' prohibitions are bogus and can be cheerfully disregarded. Accidence Will Happen is an authoritative and deeply reassuring guide to grammar, style, and the linguistic conundrums we all face"--Amazon.com.

Presents typical errors that learners of French make and explains the reasons behind these mistakes, covering mispronunciation and misspelling, applying English grammar patterns to French, putting verbs in the wrong tense, and more.

Contains alphabetically arranged entries that provide information on the meanings and proper usage of frequently troublesome words, such as addicting and addictive, African American and Black, alternate and alternative, and others.

Includes more than 18,000 alphabetical entries, covering American usage, grammatical construction, and spelling.