A usage guide for writers and all lovers of language from Bill Walsh, language maven, copy editor at
The Washington Post, and author of
Lapsing into a Comma.
Calling all language sticklers—and those who love to argue with them! Usage maven Bill Walsh expounds (rather than expands) on his pet peeves in the long-awaited follow-up (note the hyphens, please) to
The Elephants of Style and
Lapsing Into a Comma.
Could you care less? Does bad grammar “literally” make your head explode? Test your need for this book with these sentences:
"Katrina misplaced many residents of New Orleans from their homes."
"Mark had a full schedule of meetings. His first of the day was a small businessman, followed by a high schoolteacher."
"Betty was 100% percent wrong."
Pat yourself on the back if you found issues in every one of these sentences, but remember: There is a world out there beyond the stylebooks, beyond Strunk and White, beyond Lynne Truss and Failblogs. Part usage manual, part confessional and part manifesto,
Yes, I Could
Care Less bounces from sadomasochism to weather geekery,
Top Chef to Monty Python. It is a lively and often personal look at one man’s continuing journey through the obstacle course that some refer to, far too simply, as “grammar.”