The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin reference) - Softcover

Martin Manser; Stephen Curtis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140514899 ISBN 13: 9780140514896

Publisher: Penguin, 2002

Synopsis

Penguin Writer's Manual

About this title

From the Back Cover:

A Selection of Sample Entries:

`'meter or metre? In British English a metre is a measurement of length equal to 100 centimetres, while a measuring instrument is a meter: to read the meter. Likewise, in British English, the rhythmic pattern of a line of poetry is its metre, though the words for specific types of mere end in -er: hexameter; iambic pentameter. In American English the spelling meter is used for all of these senses'.

`And

'assume or presume? Assume and presume are almost interchangeable in the meaning 'suppose'. Presume is rather more formal and tends to suggest that a supposition is made on the basis of a deduction or a reasonable likelihood, and has a slightly unfavourable tinge, possibly picked up from its other meaning ('to take liberties'): Dr Livingstone, I presume? (who else could it be?); From what you said yesterday, I presumed that you'd already made up your mind. Assume is, however, definitely the word to choose if something is being put forward as a basis for argument: In drawing up your pension forecast, I assumed that interest rates would remain at about 5 per cent'.

`And

'till or until? Till and untill can be used interchangeably. Until is slightly more formal than till and in writing until is more commonly found than till'.

Synopsis:

The Penguin Writer's Manual is the essential companion for anyone who wants to master the art of writing good English. Whether you're composing an essay, sending a business letter or an email to a colleague, or firing off an angry letter to a newspaper, this guide will help you to brush up you communication skills and write correct and confident English.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0140514899
• ISBN 13: 9780140514896
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352