What is the difference between "imminent" and "immanent"? When is it appropriate to use the phrase "Hobson's choice"? Can anything be described as "very real"? There are so many obstacles on the way to writing clear, precise ("accurate"?) English ("english"?) that it is a wonder ("wander"?) anyone ("anyone" or "any one"?) can make themselves understood. In this guide, Professor Larry Trask gives advice on how to write simply and effectively and to avoid blunders and howlers which might otherwise leave your readers either bemused or rolling on the floor with laughter. He also adjudicates on hundreds of contentious issues (should "aggravate", for example, only be used in its strict meaning of "make worse"), helps the reader decide when it is appropriate to use British or American spelling ("millipede" or "millepede") and warns of the dangers which careful writers might encounter with e-mail. The result is a book that should be of use to all writers who want quick, sound advice on making their prose as readable and clear as possible.

Professor Trask has taught in the School of Cognitive and Computing Science at the University of Sussex since 1988. He is the author of many books on language and lingusitics including THE PENGUIN GUIDE TO PUNCTUATION and THE PENGUIN DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR.