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Ernest Gowers
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The Complete Plain Words Paperback – 24 Sept. 1987

by Sir Ernest Gowers (Author), Sidney Greenbaum (Editor), Janet Whitcut (Editor)
4.2 out of 5 stars 57 ratings
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin
  4. Publication date
    24 Sept. 1987
  5. Dimensions
    12.9 x 1.7 x 19.8 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0140511997
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0140511994
  8. See all details
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Product description

From the Publisher

A sample extract:

(iv) Shall and will.

English text-books used to begin by stating the rule that to express the `plain' future shall is used in the first person and will in the second and third:

I shall go

You will go

He will go


and that if it is a matter not of plain future but of volition, permission or obligation it is the other way round:

I will go (I am determined to go, or I intend to go)

You shall go (You must go, or you are permitted to go)

He shall go (He must go, or he is permitted to go)

But the idiom of the Celts is different. They have never recognised `I shall go'. For them `I will go' is the plain future. The story is a very old one of the drowning Scot who was misunderstood by English onlookers and left to his fate because he cried, `I will drown and nobody shall save me'.

American practice follows the Celtic, and in this matter, as in so many others, the English have taken to imitating the American. If we go by practice rather than precept, we can no longer say dogmatically that `I will go' for the plain future is wrong, or smugly with Dean Alford:

"I never knew an Englishman who misplaced shall and will; I hardly ever have known an Irishman or Scotsman who did not misplace them sometimes."

About the Author

Sir Ernest Gowers was born in 1880 and served in a number of illustrious occupations. He advised numerous commissions and committees on a wide variety of subjects from work conditions to the preservation of historic houses. Sidney Greenbaum was a Director of the Survey of English Usage and was the author of many books on grammar and linguistics. Janet Whitcut has worked on a number of prestgious dictionaries and is now a freelance writer with a special interest in langauge.
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 3rd Rev Ed edition (24 Sept. 1987)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140511997
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140511994
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 1.7 x 19.8 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 57 ratings

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Ernest Gowers

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
57 global ratings
5 star
60%
4 star
23%
3 star
5%
2 star
7%
1 star
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Susan Eaton
5.0 out of 5 stars Plain Words
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 September 2019
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Gareth Greenwood
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic but nowadays not without competition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 February 2014
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AlMac
5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide in using crisp plain language
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 September 2019
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5.0 out of 5 stars Really important and instructive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2020
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nikthestitch
5.0 out of 5 stars lovely informative book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2021
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Tony Willis
5.0 out of 5 stars Does What It Says on the Tin
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2013
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Mr Jason Podesta
2.0 out of 5 stars Different cover
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 January 2019
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Florian French
4.0 out of 5 stars The complete Plain Words By Sir Ernest Gowers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2013
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