NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An essential (and delightful!)* guide to writing from Random
House's longtime copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus-in the tradition of The
Elements of Style *People (Book of the Week) 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 (What to Read This Week)
