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As you know, English is spoken and written in a great variety of forms. A Brooklyn cabbie does not talk like a London stockbroker. A student being interviewed for a job does not speak the way he does in the bar with his friends. The English in the National Enquirer does not look like the English in the New York Times, and neither looks quite like the English in a scientific journal.
All of these varieties of English are appropriate to their circumstances. However, there is one variety of English that occupies a rather special position everywhere in the English-speaking world. This variety is standard written English, sometimes also called edited English. Standard written English is the variety of English used in all careful writing, apart from certain styles of literature. It is the kind of English expected in student essays and dissertations, in business letters and reports, in nonfiction books, in serious newspapers, and in most other kinds of writing.
Unlike most other kinds of English, standard written English is strongly codified. That is, there is almost total agreement as to which forms and usages form part of it and which do not. So, for example, mischievous is a standard spelling, but xmischievious is not. (Throughout this book, an asterisk marks a form or usage that is not acceptable in standard written English.) Likewise, this number of students is standard, but xthis amount of students is not. Less obviously, perhaps, the sentence xWas any action decided to be taken? is not accepted as part of the standard, while Was any action taken? is indisputably standard.
Mastery of standard written English is a requirement for many professions, and it is highly desirable in many others. But nobody comes naturally equipped with this mastery. Standard written English has to be acquired, usually by formal education. Sadly, however, in recent years schools in most English-speaking countries have pulled back from teaching this material. As a result, even university graduates with good degrees often find themselves with a command of standard English that is at best inadequate and at worst distressing. This is not a trivial problem, since a poor command of the conventions of standard English will often make a very bad impression on those who must read your writing.
Consider the following passage, which is taken from an expensively printed advertising brochure put out by a well-known chain of stores selling electrical goods, and which was meant to be written in standard English:
Micro Systems are defined by their amazingly compact size, so are ideal for places were space is at a premium . . . Many come with a built in timer and clock, mean their ideal for the bedroom and replacing the need for a radio alarm clock.
This passage contains at least six outright errors, and some of them, such as the use of were for where, are shocking to any reader with pretensions to literacy. It is hard to believe that a successful company paid somebody to write this passage, and that no one else in the company noticed anything wrong with it. Many readers will inevitably respond to such stuV by wondering, "If this is their idea of good English, what's their idea of a good product?"
Mastery of standard English is worth acquiring, and lack of it is a severe handicap. Recently I was obliged to read a final-year dissertation written by a university undergraduate. Its content was striking, even brilliant, and the author showed a clear capacity for doing original research. However, she was virtually incapable of constructing a grammatical sentence in standard English, and her work, which should have been a pleasure to read, was in fact tedious, exasperating, annoying, and at times hard to follow—all because of her poor command of standard English. Regardless of her talent, she will never get an academic job with such inadequate English.
The purpose of this handbook is to help you with your written English. Many other such handbooks exist, but some are a little reluctant to lay down the law. They often tell the reader "Well, some people prefer this, but other people prefer that." I assume that you don't want to hear this and instead want to hear "This is right, and that is wrong." As far as possible, I'll try to say exactly that. This handbook adopts a much blunter tone than do most others. But sometimes it's just not possible to take such an uncompromising line. There are two reasons for this, a small one and a big one.
First, the small one. Standard written English comes in two slightly diVerent versions: the British version and the American version. Fortunately, the diVerences between the two versions are not great, except in vocabulary. This book is written by an American who works in Britain, and it covers most of the significant diVerences between the American standard and the British standard—in spelling, in punctuation, in grammar, and in the use of words. Naturally, you should try to stick consistently to one version or the other, since mixing British and American conventions will please nobody.
Second, the big reason. Every living language is constantly changing, and English is no exception—not even standard written English. Words and forms that were normal in standard English several generations ago, or several decades ago, may now be quaint, archaic, or obsolete. Other words and forms that did not exist at all in standard English some time ago are now becoming accepted into the standard language and may already have become fully accepted.
This may surprise you, but consider an example. Only a few generations ago, the construction illustrated by the example, My house is being painted, did not exist in standard English, and the only possible form for expressing this was My house is painting—a form that is impossible for us now. When, in the early nineteenth century, a few innovating writers began writing things like . . .
Mind the Gaffe!
Excerpted from Mind the Gaffe!: A Troubleshooter's Guide to English Style and Usage by R. L. Trask
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
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