Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage

This newest version of “Fowler”, by Jeremy Butterfield, is a great book. It’s really enjoyable to dip into, as well as being a useful reference work. You can intend to just look one thing up, and end up spending half an hour browsing through various entries. In his introduction, Butterfield admits that in this book he is being both descriptive and prescriptive. That is, he is both describing how English IS used today, and also making comments on how he thinks it SHOULD be used. Today the experts generally talk about “standard” English rather than “correct” English. But sometimes Butterfield rightly points out that certain things are clearly wrong. For example, we should definitely write “It’s raining”, and not “Its raining”. However, it is often the case that what is classed as “standard” changes over time, leading to a situation where there might be two ways of writing something, with opinion divided over which is “correct”. So, for example, “media” is the plural of medium, and it would therefore strictly speaking be correct to say “The mass media are...” rather than “The mass media is...” But Butterfield shows that it is becoming increasingly acceptable to say and write the latter, with “media” being used as a collective noun with singular agreement. Another example of change is the fact that far more people now write “A historical...” than “An historical...” The former has become “standard”. The up-to-date nature of the book is also shown by the fact that we have discussions on the use of “website” versus “web site”, and “online” versus “on line” versus “on-line”. I also like the way that the author shoots down myths such as these three: (1) That you should never end a sentence with a preposition. (2) That you should never start a sentence with “And”. (3) That you should never split an infinitive. I really like this book, but that doesn’t mean I always agree with Butterfield. For example, he recommends “coordinate” and “cooperate” rather than “co-ordinate” and “co-operate”. But given that he acknowledges that we should write “co-opt” and “co-op”, it seems more logical to me to stick to “co-ordinate” and “co-operate”. But disagreements like this make the whole subject more interesting. Phil Webster.

This is the first new edition in 19 years, and it's excellent. Bigger than ever, and full of entries for some very modern up-to-date words, some common (podcast) and others not so common (wilfing, anyone?) The new editor appears to have done an exhaustive (and exhausting) overhaul of the book, while keeping its spirit alive. The introduction, where the editor explains how the modern Oxford English Corpus - a database of texts - has helped him to compile the book, is also very interesting. The advice ranges from the practical and mundane to the more opinionated articles (such as the entry on political correctness). It's a very warm and human book, not a cold and emotionless work like a conventional dictionary. The now-familiar original dedication from the 1926 first edition - where H.W.Fowler tells of how he planned the book with his brother, who died of TB before the book could be written - has lost none of its power, and we can still wonder how the book would have been different had he lived. There's all the classics too, such as advice and examples on the good old "who vs whom" debate. I found it was possible to just open the book at random and find interesting entries, so this new edition, like previous editions, isn't just a reference book, it can be dipped into for entertainment and education where required. Anyone who cares about their writing as I do, either professionally or as a hobby, will be very well served by this book and should buy a copy immediately.

I have just bought the kindle version, but within ames-ace of doing that I am certain I'll be buying the hard copy as well. Fowler's Usage, here updated in a 4th edtn published 2015, is one to browse and riffle through, which kindle doesn't really lend itself to. On the other hand, kindle does accommodate highlighting - anathema to any book lover - and searching which, in a book organised alphabetically, is invaluable. I have already delighted in Fowler/Butterworth's laying bare the use of the apostrophe: I'm so glad that my use of it, as in eg 1960's, is not incorrect! And I am now about to digest the guidance on the use of the colon vs semi-colon... My one lament so far? No discussion that I have yet found of the distinction between envy and jealousy. Nay matter, I've already made my mind up on that one.

The book is beautifully printed and presented and contains an extraordinary amount of information. I hoped for clarity on the modern practices for a book that was being sent to a publisher relating to apostrophes, commas, brackets, quotation marks etc . I did not find it easy to access the information.

Combine this with Garner (American) and Penguin Usage and Abusage for a complete guide to English usage. None cover the difference between between (preposition) and inbetween (an itermediate stage or thing, adjective or noun, but not preposition) - you'll need a dictionary for that, but mostly they cover everything you would need. This is my first stop for usage. At first I though it wasn't useful - of course I know when too* use such simple words. *to, of course. It's a joke, but given this is a review, I have to be serious.

An excellent book. Well presented and written in an engaging style for what, for many, is a dry subject.

Having bought and kept the 1963 edition when becoming an Undergraduate Student, it became very clear recently that I needed to buy the 2015 and most recent edition. This I ordered and received from "Amazon" by the due delivery date. I was very pleased - as always - with this prompt delivery service and with this purchase as its contents are so much more extensive and relevant to the 21st century!

This is my second purchase of this useful book. Readers can devote hours just trawling though reference after cross reference all starting with a single word.

This dictionary is one which tells you the epistemology of words and not necessarily the meaning. Don’t buy if your looking for a dictionary with definitions. But. This was an awesome purchase anyways

A new Fowler's is always a treat for editors and grammarians. It's not just a reference for work, but a delight to read on its own. The usage offered is far more flexible and tolerant than the earlier editions, following in Burchfield's steps to recognize popular and vernacular uses and styles. Should be on every writer's and editor's bookshelf.

The first and the second editions were from the learned to the learned; the third edition tried to reach out to those who needed it the most - but the fourth edition has, with its simple yet subtle language come to the aid of everyone when he is in doubt.

Bin zufrieden