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TE AM FL Y

Correct English

The A to Z of

Books to change your life and work.
Accessible, easy to read and easy to act on – other titles in the How To series include: Polish Up Your Punctuation & Grammar Master the basics of the English language and write with greater confidence Improving Your Spelling Boost your word power and your confidence Improving Your Written English How toensure your grammar, punctuation and spelling are up to scratch Writing an Essay How to improve your performance in coursework and examinations Increase Your Word Power How to find the right word when you need it

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The A to Z of

Correct English
ANGELA BURT 2nd edition

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Published by How To Books Ltd, 3 Newtec Place, Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RE. United Kingdom. Tel: (01865) 793806. Fax: (01865) 248780. email: info@howtobooks.co.uk www.howtobooks.co.uk All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system (otherthan for purposes of review) without the express permission of the publisher in writing. # Copyright 2002 Angela Burt First edition 2000 Second edition 2002 Angela Burt has asserted the right to be identified as the author of this work, in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available fromthe British Library. Cover Design by Baseline Arts, Oxford Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions Typeset by PDQ Typesetting, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs. Printed and bound by The Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wiltshire NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying inparticular circumstances on statements made in the book. Laws and regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should check the current position with the relevant authorities before making personal arrangements.

Introduction
The A–Z of Correct English is a reference book which has been written for the student and the general reader. It aims to tackle the basic questions aboutspelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage that the student and the general reader are likely to ask. Throughout the book there are clear explanations, and exemplar sentences where they are needed. When it’s helpful to draw attention to spelling rules and patterns, these are given so that the reader is further empowered to deal with hundreds of related words. The aim always has been to make thereader more confident and increasingly self-reliant. This is a fast-track reference book. It is not a dictionary although, like a dictionary, it is arranged alphabetically. It concentrates on problem areas; it anticipates difficulties; it invites cross-references. By exploring punctuation, for example, and paragraphing, it goes far beyond a dictionary’s terms of reference. It is not intended to replacea dictionary; it rather supplements it. Once, in an evening class, one of my adult students said, ‘If there’s a right way to spell a word, I want to know it.’ On another occasion, at the end of a punctuation session on possessive apostrophes, a college student said rather angrily, ‘Why wasn’t I told this years ago?’ This book has been written to answer all the questions that my students over theyears have needed to ask. I hope all who now use it will have their questions answered also and enjoy the confidence and the mastery that this will bring. Angela Burt

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How to use this book
For ease of reference, all the entries in this book have been listed alphabetically rather than being divided into separate spelling, usage, punctuation and...