Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11579 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1056 pages

Customer Reviews

Good, but could be slightly improved
The material covered is, without doubt, extensive. The main problem I have is FINDING the bit I'm looking for. I have found myself working through the sections, typing up a comprehensive table of contents for each section - something I would have expected already from a book that is meant to help me make material useful. The lack of adequate table of contents is the reason for the missing star in my rating.

Apart from that, I have found both parts of the book very useful (even if I don't agree with using Z all over the place for -ise/-ize words!) and refer to it daily -- using my own table of contents, of course.

The book is particularly useful for writers and editors who are looking to answer a specific question, but I don't think it is as helpful for someone who does not write for a living and therefore doesn't know what question to ask. The order of sections doesn't guide a user in their search to find an elegant style so definitely a book for an expert rather than a novice. Not to worry, I'm using my OSM to help me create an idiot's guide to house style (now does that have a hyphen or not?)

Essential book if proper English usage is important to you.
Speaking as a person who's currently studying towards an English GCSE I'd just like to say that this book has been invaluable. It offers help on how to use all forms of punctuation - from the basic (full stops) to obscure (did you know the difference between the en rule and em rule?).

It's important to note though that this book isn't a self-help english guide but a reference tool. Writing an essay and you need to know the correct way to quote sources or cite references? Then this book can help. It even has basic guides to other languages - from African Languages to Welsh. These guides have information on, for example, what alphabet they use (with examples if it's a non-roman alphabet) and how to pronounce certain characters.

It also has a particulary helpful section on American English, with a sizeable conversion chart showing what American words mean in 'normal' English (about-face = about-turn, alligator clip = crocoldile clip, antenna [radio, TV] = aerial).

Personally, I don't use the included 'Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors', though I'm neither a writer or an editor so this is hardly surprising. The dictionary contains, among other things, abbreviations and foreign words but not definitions.

This book has earned a place on my desk where it is always within easy reach, and except my dictionary, is probably my most used book.