Common Errors in English Usage

by Paul Brians

Mixed-up, mangled expressions; foreign-language faux pas; confused and confusing terms; commonly mispronounced words—they’re all explained in this useful and entertaining guide.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Writing, Language, Linguistics, 21st Century

246 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Paul Brians (1942-) earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Indiana University and joined the Department of English at Washington State University in 1968. He taught literature, interdisciplinary humanities, and world civilizations courses. He retired in 2008 and now lives on Bainbridge Island.

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and entertaining -- very well done!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I concur with the reviewer on back cover who described this book as "cheerfully useful." I have enjoyed including some of the common usage errors on my blog and will continue, noting Brians's explanations. I can't take credit for his humorous comments and remarks about common errors, but these have made the book fun to read as well as informative. I especially appreciate little tips on how to remember which of two commonly switched words is correct.

The errors are listed in alpha order and also cross-referenced. At the back of the book are lists, such as "misheard expressions," "American English vs. British English," "commonly misused expressions," "redundancies," etc. And each of these items are explained in the body of the book.

I have learned many word origins and rationales in this helpful book. For instance, I learned that the X in Xmas is not an attempt to take "Christ out of Christmas," but that the X is an early Greek symbol for Christ. I also learned that the "ye" in "ye old book shoppe" was not originally pronounced as "ye" but instead as "the." The Y being an early abbreviation for "th."

And it's "card sharp" not "card shark"; "anchors aweigh" not "anchors away." And "presently" doesn't mean "in the present"; it means "soon." Many other surprises and delights concerning words, expressions, and punctuation await the reader.

Cleverly-captioned illustrations scattered throughout the book add to the entertainment aspect of this helpful book.

[leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What should we rate it?”
“Five, obviously”

[Susan Molloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖍️ Overall, Common Errors in English Usage is a fun book to read while learning what you do not know in English usage. It is written with respect for the reader, too, with touches of humor. Surprisingly, I learned a couple of points – well, they were reminders. Recommended if you want to improve your writing and speaking skills.

☞Why this book? I am wild about languages!

જ⁀🟨 Borrowed and read from my neighborhood HOA library.
✴︎⋆✴︎⋆✴︎⋆✴︎

[LInda L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it that he gives some pronunciations for French/other languages. Also confused terms, and mispronounced words. Some made me laugh because I'm sure that somewhere along the line, I've screwed up! Maybe now I won't.

[Amazon Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome

[Jacqueline]

I'm always up for a critical analysis of grammatical misuse :)

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped during my Master's quite a bit!

[Sasril · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had it on bahasa Indonesia.study...study........study

[Aaron Slack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely informative. If do do any writing of any sort, reading this book is well worth your time.

[Exavidreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lists in alphabetical order common words that people get confused about. In this advanced technological world, the internet provides an easier way to search for such words.