One Day in the Life of the English Language

A Microcosmic Usage Handbook

Frank L. Cioffi

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Press
12 May 2015

Usage & grammar guides; Creative writing & creative writing guides; Writing skills; Reference

"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."

By: Frank L. Cioffi
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 178mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 312g
ISBN: 9780691165073
ISBN 10: 0691165076
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 12 May 2015
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Frank L. Cioffi is professor of English at Baruch College, City University of New York, and has taught writing at Princeton and Indiana universities and at Bard and Scripps colleges. He is the author of The Imaginative Argument: A Practical Manifesto for Writers (Princeton), among other books.