Thread: Improving your writing.

More "must haves" to help improve your writing: Elements of Style by William Strunk & EB White (surely recommended somewhere else in WF) which for some people is considered the writing bible; The Little, Brown Handbook, a nuts & bolts handbook for all aspects & phases of writing, & is also considered a staple among aspiring writers.

The writing bible is Fowler's Modern English Usage. Pair it with the Oxford Concise English Dictionary and you have the basic tools you need.

...time to open the wallet again!

Fowler's is over 80 years old, language is a changing thing, less so when it is written it is true, but it still changes, so do methods of presentation, somebody with enough knowledge and the right writing skills might be able to write its replacement, not an easy job though.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

Fowler's is over 80 years old, language is a changing thing, less so when it is written it is true, but it still changes, so do methods of presentation, somebody with enough knowledge and the right writing skills might be able to write its replacement, not an easy job though.

A written language manual must necessarily include examples from the world of speech. Everything changes, and as time passes the rate of change accelererates. It would take a foolish man to attempt writing an English usage manual in the hope it would remain current for even five years at best.

I use the third edition of Fowler's, published in 1996 and edited by R.W. Burchfield, Chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionaries from 1971 to 1984. The third is a major revision and Burchfield's intention was to bring Fowler right up to date. The edition offended many conservatives who yet rely on the first edition. There is a fourth edition, published in 2004, which I do not yet have.

My copy of the first edition is ofttimes consulted and was my principal guide in my school days, 50 and 60 years ago. Today the Burchfield Third Edition is my primary authority. I really ought to buy a copy of the Fourth. Burchfield died the year it was published, and I've not looked to see whether he was the editor.