''Practical English Usage'' is a standard

reference book A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to ...

aimed at foreign learners of English and their teachers written by

Michael Swan Michael Swan (born June 11, 1948) is an American film and TV actor. Early life Swan was born in San Jose, California, the son of actress Alys Lucille (née Wilkinson) and Donald Arthur Swan.Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, it has sold over 2 million copies since the first edition was published in 1980. A new, and greatly extended second edition was published in 1995. A third edition was released in 2005, and a fourth in 2016.

Feature

It features basic descriptions of

English grammar English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and whole texts. This article describes a generalized, present-day Standard English – a form of spee ...

and usage as well as highlighting various words which are often problematic for non-native speakers. Although the model is basically

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadl ...

, it explains some of the stylistic differences between British and American usage. The third edition also takes into account some of the most recent changes within British English, particularly the commonisation of various

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances ...

forms (such as the use of ''like'' as a conjunction – e.g. like I do).

Influences

In his Acknowledgements for the first edition, Swan refers to the aid given him by "various standard reference books – in particular, the splendid ''

A Grammar of Contemporary English A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'', by

Quirk Quirk or Quirks is having unconventional beliefs or manner, for example mispronouncing, in-jokes, clumsy and ditsy, and may refer to: * '' The Quirk'', a literary magazine * "Quirks", a song by Ultravox! from the album ''Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'' * 18376 Q ...

, Greenbaum,

Leech Leeches are segmented parasitism, parasitic or Predation, predatory worms that comprise the Class (biology), subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the Oligochaeta, oligochaetes, which include the earthwor ...

and Svartvik" (Longman 1972), and in the second edition, to "the monumental ''

A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language ''A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language'' is a descriptive grammar of English written by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik. It was first published by Longman in 1985. In 1991 it was called "The greate ...

''" (Longman 1985), by the same authors.

Similar works

* The Complete Plain Words by

Ernest Gowers Sir Ernest Arthur Gowers (2 June 1880 – 16 April 1966) is best remembered for his book ''Plain Words,'' first published in 1948, and his revision of Fowler's classic '' Modern English Usage''. Before making his name as an author, he had a long ...

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage ''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' (1926), by Henry Watson Fowler (1858–1933), is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing. Covering topics such as plurals and literary technique, distinctions among like word ...

H. W. Fowler Henry Watson Fowler (10 March 1858 – 26 December 1933) was an English schoolmaster, List of lexicographers, lexicographer and commentator on the usage of the English language. He is notable for both ''A Dictionary of Modern English Usage'' a ...

References

{{Reflist 1980 non-fiction books Style guides Oxford University Press books book-stub

Feature

Influences

See also

Similar works

References