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There is no time 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. Mad does not mean angry "To be or not to be" is not a quote Rugs are not weaved You do not loan money While the English language evolves for many legitimate reasons, like new technology and catch-words-of-the-day, the biggest problem with the English language is that it forgives too easily. When our words are misused, it seems it's easier to let them be twisted enough so they encompass their incorrect usage, so they appear to be correct even when they are wrong. That's why this dictionary was written - to help you eliminate from your language common errors that weaken your writing. Using the correct word at the proper moment adds power to your efforts. "A Writer's Dictionary of Distinctions" presents the most accurate, powerful, and effective ways to use nearly 300 common words. What we present here represents the best definitions, the best distinctions, and you will never be wrong in using them as we suggest. Use them as we've noted, and your mastery of the language will only strengthen.
"This delightful book is a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it. It resolves a great deal of puzzlement over confusable terms, and its endearing illustrations and lighthearted explanations multiply the satisfaction." —Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and Rationality What’s the difference between mazes and labyrinths? Proverbs and adages? Clementines and tangerines? Join author Eli Burnstein on a hairsplitter’s odyssey into the world of the ultra-subtle with Dictionary of Fine Distinctions. Illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck, this humorous dictionary takes a neurotic, brain-tickling plunge into the infinite (and infinitesimal) nuances that make up our world. The perfect gift for book lovers, word nerds, trivia geeks, and everyday readers, this illustrated gem is more than just a book—it is an indispensable resource akin to a thesaurus but filled with charm and wit. Each entry, from “latte vs. flat white" to “Great Britain vs. The United Kingdom," is accompanied by mnemonic aids, quirky asides, and detailed illustrations, making it a standout dictionary for any bibliophile or language enthusiast's library. For fans of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows or Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words, Dictionary of Fine Distinctions promises to be a cherished addition to the genre that offers clarity, joy, and a deeper appreciation for the subtleties of the English language. The quintessential librarian gift and English teacher gift, it’s an educational odyssey that’s as entertaining as it is enlightening.
This book contains a collection of distinctions between words that you may use on a regular basis. Rather than pure definition, I have attempted to illustrate distinctions through example. This is a collection of distinctions that I have discovered as I have lived my life over the last several years. They have made a difference for me in my understanding of our world. I hope that they will make a profound imprint on your life as well. By reading this book, I hope that you will heighten your depth of communication. You will be able to see in language what you could not see before, create what you could not create before, and most importantly, express what you could not express before. And, the next time you pick up a thesaurus, you might become conscious of the side-effects it may have on your vocabulary. This dictionary may not seem too big. In my defense, may I point out that the Lords Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg address is 286 words, and there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence. I wont dare compare this book to these great works. However, I do want to point out the power a few words can have. A few words can only have power if they are chosen wisely (and if they are understood inside the spirit in which they are expressed). I submit to you that you, by reading and understanding this book, will learn how to use words much more wisely. Anthony Robbins says that Nothing in life has any meaning except for the meaning that we give it. I hope that this book provides you the opportunity to generate further and deeper meaning from the words that I have put forth. More importantly, I hope you generate an overall deeper meaning in your entire life, making it alife of Distinction.
“In this part-thesaurus, part-hilarious manual of style, Elster breaks down the most common mistakes of the English language.”—Booklist If you have trouble distinguishing the verbs imitate and emulate, the relative pronouns that and which, or the adjectives pliant, pliable, and supple, never fear—How to Tell Fate from Destiny is here to help! With more than 500 headwords, the book is replete with advice on how to differentiate commonly confused words and steer clear of verbal trouble. Whether you’re a boomer, a Gen-Xer, or a millennial, if you peruse, browse, or even skim these spindrift pages you will (not shall) become versed in the fine art of differentiation. You will learn, for example, how to tell whether you suffer from pride, vanity, or hubris how to tell whether you’re contagious or infectious how to tell if you’re pitiful or pitiable how to tell if you’re self-centered or self-absorbed how to live an ethical life in a moral universe “This appealing book will help readers over countless lexical stumbling blocks, and encourage clearer and more precise speaking and writing.”—Publishers Weekly “The author of this charming and useful book has made a career out of literary finesse. In his latest effort to ‘clarify the mind and general discourse,’ the ‘professional distinctioneer’ offers witty, wise advice on the right way to deploy some of the English language’s trickiest words, from a and an to zero, zeros, zeroes.”—Yale Alumni Magazine
This three-in-one guide is the perfect addition to any professional or amateur writer's bookshelf. Aimed at those who use language in their day-to-day lives, it is divided into three parts. The Grammar Guide provides clear, comprehensive guidance on sentence structure, parts of speech and punctuation; the Vocabulary Builder helps you choose the right word by listing commonly confused, misused and cliched words; the dictionary of Literary Terms provides concise definitions of linguistic forms. The budding writer can use this guide to quickly enhance their style and improve their word power. The rules and advice provided are accompanied by usage examples throughout.
One of the English language’s most skilled and beloved writers guides us all toward precise, mistake-free grammar. As usual Bill Bryson says it best: “English is a dazzlingly idiosyncratic tongue, full of quirks and irregularities that often seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense. This is a language where ‘cleave’ can mean to cut in half or to hold two halves together; where the simple word ‘set’ has 126 different meanings as a verb, 58 as a noun, and 10 as a participial adjective; where if you can run fast you are moving swiftly, but if you are stuck fast you are not moving at all; [and] where ‘colonel,’ ‘freight,’ ‘once,’ and ‘ache’ are strikingly at odds with their spellings.” As a copy editor for the London Times in the early 1980s, Bill Bryson felt keenly the lack of an easy-to-consult, authoritative guide to avoiding the traps and snares in English, and so he brashly suggested to a publisher that he should write one. Surprisingly, the proposition was accepted, and for “a sum of money carefully gauged not to cause embarrassment or feelings of overworth,” he proceeded to write that book—his first, inaugurating his stellar career. Now, a decade and a half later, revised, updated, and thoroughly (but not overly) Americanized, it has become Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words, more than ever an essential guide to the wonderfully disordered thing that is the English language. With some one thousand entries, from “a, an” to “zoom,” that feature real-world examples of questionable usage from an international array of publications, and with a helpful glossary and guide to pronunciation, this precise, prescriptive, and—because it is written by Bill Bryson—often witty book belongs on the desk of every person who cares enough about the language not to maul or misuse or distort it.
With essays, notes, and tips from some of today's most brilliant wordsmiths, this is the first thesaurus "for" writers, "by" writers.