NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A sharp funny grammar guide they'll actually want to read from
Random House's longtime copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus NAMED ONE OF THE
BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: The Oprah Magazine • Paste • Shelf Awareness Essential (and
delightful!)-People We all write all the time: books blogs emails. Lots and lots of emails.
And we all want to write better. Benjamin Dreyer is here to help. As Random House's copy chief
Dreyer has upheld the standards of the legendary publisher for more than two decades. He is
beloved by authors and editors alike-not to mention his followers on social media-for
deconstructing the English language with playful erudition. Now he distills everything he has
learned from the myriad books he has copyedited and overseen into a useful guide not just for
writers but for everyone who wants to put their best prose foot forward. As authoritative as it
is amusing Dreyer's English offers lessons on punctuation from the underloved semicolon to
the enigmatic en dash the rules and nonrules of grammar including why it's OK to begin a
sentence with And or But and to confidently split an infinitive and why it's best to avoid the
doldrums of the Wan Intensifiers and Throat Clearers including very rather of course and
the dreaded actually. Dreyer will let you know whether alright is all right (sometimes) and
even help you brush up on your spelling-though as he notes The problem with mnemonic devices
is that I can never remember them. And yes: Only godless savages eschew the series comma.
Chockful of advice insider wisdom and fun facts this book will prove to be invaluable to
everyone who wants to shore up their writing skills mandatory for people who spend their time
editing and shaping other people's prose and-perhaps best of all-an utter treat for anyone who
simply revels in language. Praise for Dreyer's English Playful smart self-conscious and
personal . . . One encounters wisdom and good sense on nearly every page of Dreyer's
English.-The Wall Street Journal Destined to become a classic.-The Millions Dreyer can help you
. . . with tips on punctuation and spelling. . . . Even better: He'll entertain you while he's
at it.-Newsday
