Book of the Month
The Essential guide to English Usage

Chancellor Press
Authors: John Bailie & Moyna Kitchin

£4.98 (amazon)

ISBN 1 85152 083

Intermediate


This review came about after the request of a student for a good book on English Usage which cost less than five pounds. This book came in at £4.98, at £2.99 for the book and £1.99 for the postage. Despite the price, the book is a hardback and excellent value for money - not just for EFL students, but for many native speakers who are not sure of, for example, the difference between 'masterful' and 'masterly'. (As the book explains 'masterful' means having a strong and controlling manner, whereas 'masterly' means done in the manner of someone who is a true expert.)

There are 319 pages in the book. Most of these are taken up with an alphabetical list of English language issues. For example under 'F' we find, inter alios, foreign words and expressions (inter alios is Latin meaning 'among other things'), the difference between 'funeral' and 'funereal', an explanation and example of a fused participle ('Maggie wearing trousers is an indication that women's lib is here to stay'.) and a reminder that 'for ever' can be written as a single word in American English, but British English insists on two separate words. Punctuation, style, grammar and commonly misused words are all listed within this index. We did two random checks - for 'malapropism' and 'sic' and found that the book gave a clear explanation, with examples in each case. At the back of the book is a short list of foreign expressions which are commonly used in English. This is a plain reference book, without any colours or pictures - as you might expect at this price.

Who is this book for? EFL students of intermediate standard and above will need a book like this, and the price of this one makes it very attractive. It could even earn a place on the shelves of EFL teachers who want to remind themselves about linguistic issues such as dieresis. Given the misguided policy of not teaching English children about their own language, an entire generation is uncertain of how to use English correctly, so there are many native speakers who will need to refer to books like this as well

Verdict: Excellent value for money
Assessment 8/10


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