Bryan A. Garner

“A delight”—BooklistA richly illustrated historical account of English-language dictionaries, and the people who made them, from the dawn of printing to the present day. Dictionaries are repositories of erudition, monuments to linguistic authority, and battlefields in cultural and political struggles. For centuries, they were also works of almost superhuman endurance, produced by people who devoted themselves for years, even decades, to the wearisome labor of corralling, recording, and defining the vocabulary of a language. Dictionaries also are often beautiful objects: typographically innovative, designed to project learning and authority. Painstakingly collected and lovingly presented, here are the stories behind great works of scholarship and the people who produced them—their prodigious endurance, their nationalist fervor, their philological elucubrations haphazardly mixed with crackpot theories, their petty rivalries, their need for sales, and their sometimes irrational conduct and visceral hatreds. Readers will find towering figures of English lexicography—Samuel Johnson, the American patriot Noah Webster, the Oxford English Dictionary’s James Murray—and many more obscure lexicographers whose achievements and biographies are no less fascinating. For one, meet Ann Fisher, England’s first female lexicographer, whose dictionary in 1773 introduced the radical innovation of alphabetically separating the letter pairs I and J and U and V (reacting against her predecessors who had “ever blended and confounded them”). The lesser-known works here include the small, unassuming 1604 book that is generally regarded as the “first English dictionary”; the early representatives of the “hard word” tradition as it evolves into attempts to cover the whole vocabulary; and the vast Century Dictionary—an American enterprise that rivaled the original OED. As the quest for completeness placed a dictionary beyond one author’s ability (or lifespan), editors and publishers adapted. For the OED, in 1918, J. R. R. Tolkien was hired to define select words beginning with W (and he tackled warm, wash, wasp, water, wick, and winter). Later in the 20th century, the Random House Dictionary of the English Language was marketed as relying not on famous literary figures or educators, but instead on computers for exactitude. However they may have been written and compiled, dictionaries induce us to ask about the basis of authority. Who gets to say what is an English word and what is not, what words mean, and how words should be used? The 19th century saw a craze for nonstandard, regional dialect, the collection of which led to crowdsourcing before that word had even been coined (the same basic method continues today with the Urban Dictionary website). In 1944, the first dictionary by a Black American (of slang “hepster jive”) appeared. The first gay dictionary emerged in the early 1970s, followed in the 1980s by the first dictionary for feminists and the first for hackers. Meanwhile, the form of dictionaries has changed—especially since 1995 and the start-up website Dictionary.com. Today, the future of the printed dictionary is in question, but the central relevance of dictionaries, whatever their format, to communication and culture endures. Hardly Harmless Drudgery is a long-overdue celebration of all those who toiled in service of language and meaning. It covers more than half a millennium, from the 15th century to the 21st, with biographical and bibliographical information, correspondence, and engrossing details never before published. Profusely illustrated with 750 photographs of books and ephemera, this is nothing less than a glorious celebration of words and the people who love them.

The leading guide to clear writing—and clear thinking—in the legal profession for more than two decades, now newly updated. Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful—all too often, legal writing embodies none of these qualities. Its reputation for obscurity and needless legalese is widespread. Since 2001, Bryan A. Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has helped address this problem by providing lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. Now the leading guide to clear writing in the field, this indispensable volume encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. Accessible and witty, Legal Writing in Plain English draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through decades of teaching experience. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting, and the book’s principles are reinforced by sets of basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section. For this third edition, Garner has retained the structure of the previous versions, with updates and new material throughout. There are new sections on making your writing vivid and concrete and on using graphics to enhance your argument. The coverage and examples of key topics such as achieving parallelism, avoiding legalese, writing effective openers and summaries, and weaving quotations into your text have also been expanded. And the sample legal documents and exercises have been updated, while newly added checklists provide quick summaries of each section. Altogether, this new edition will be the most useful yet for legal professionals and students seeking to improve their prose.

The most original and authoritative voice of today's English lexicography presents a fully revised new edition of his beloved usage dictionary When Bryan Garner published the first edition of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage in 1999, the book quickly became one of the most influential style guides ever written for the English language. After four previous editions and over twenty years, our language has evolved in many ways, and the powerful tool of big data has revolutionized lexicography. This extensively revised new edition fully captures these changes, featuring a thousand new entries and over two hundred replacement entries, thoroughly updated usage data and ratios on word frequency based on the Google Ngram Viewer, a more balanced coverage of World Englishes, not just American and British, and the inclusion of gender-neutral language. However, one thing has not changed: in no sense is this a "regular" dictionary but a masterpiece of lexicography written with wit and personality by one of the preeminent authorities on the English language. To put it in David Foster Wallace's words, Garner's discussion of rhetoric and style still "borders on genius." From the (lost) battle between self-deprecating and self-depreciating to the misuse of it's for its, from the variant spelling patty-cake taking over pat-a-cake in American English to the singular uses of they, Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary and the linguistic blunders to which modern writers and speakers are prone, whether in word choice, syntax, phrasing, punctuation, or pronunciation. His empirical approach liberates English from two extremes: from the "purists" who maintain that split infinitives and sentence-ending prepositions are malfeasances and from the linguistic relativists who believe that whatever people say or write must necessarily be accepted. The purpose of Garner's dictionary is to help writers, editors, and speakers use the language effectively. And it does so in a playful and persuasive way that will help you sound "grammatical but relaxed, refined but natural, correct but unpedantic."

An exploration of a surprisingly combative period in the history of English grammar. Heated arguments can break out over many things: slander, insults to a person’s honor—and, during one period in English history, grammar. In his new book detailing the controversies and fraught histories that accompanied efforts to regularize English grammar, Bryan A. Garner shows that the grammarians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were a surprisingly contentious and opinionated lot. ? Taming the Tongue in the Heyday of English Grammar (1711–1851) makes the primers of the period come alive in ways that their concerned and idiosyncratic authors might not have envisioned. The entries in Taming the Tongue—which has nearly five hundred color illustrations—are packed with scrupulously recorded information on the content and publication details of the primers, as well as tantalizing tales from the authors’ lives. Combining scholarly rigor with lively anecdotes, Garner sheds light on the controversies and unexpectedly fiery histories of English grammatical disputes.

From legal expert and veteran author Bryan Garner comes a unique, intimate, and compelling memoir of his friendship with the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. For almost thirty years, Antonin Scalia was arguably the most influential and controversial Justice on the United States Supreme Court. His dynamic and witty writing devoted to the Constitution has influenced an entire generation of judges. Based on his reputation for using scathing language to criticize liberal court decisions, many people presumed Scalia to be gruff and irascible. But to those who knew him as "Nino," he was characterized by his warmth, charm, devotion, fierce intelligence, and loyalty. Bryan Garner's friendship with Justice Scalia was instigated by celebrated writer David Foster Wallace and strengthened over their shared love of language. Despite their differing viewpoints on everything from gun control to the use of contractions, their literary and personal relationship flourished. Justice Scalia even officiated at Garner's wedding. In this humorous, touching, and surprisingly action-packed memoir, Garner gives a firsthand insight into the mind, habits, and faith of one of the most famous and misunderstood judges in the world.

How-to guides to your most pressing work challenges. This 16-volume, specially priced boxed set makes a perfect gift for aspiring leaders looking for trusted advice on such diverse topics as data analytics, negotiating, business writing, and coaching. This set includes:Persuasive PresentationsBetter Business WritingFinance BasicsData AnalyticsBuilding Your Business CaseMaking Every Meeting MatterProject ManagementEmotional IntelligenceGetting the Right Work DoneNegotiatingLeading TeamsCoaching EmployeesPerformance ManagementDelivering Effective FeedbackDealing with ConflictManaging Up and AcrossArm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

The perfect set of guides to manage productively and effectively. Master the most critical professional skills with this five-volume set that covers topics from personal effectiveness to leading others. This specially priced collection includes books from the HBR Guide series on the topics of Getting the Right Work Done, Better Business Writing, Persuasive Presentations, Making Every Meeting Matter, and Project Management. You'll learn how to:Prioritize and stay focusedOvercome procrastinationConquer email overloadPush past writer's blockCreate powerful visualsEstablish credibility with tough audiencesModerate lively conversations and regain control of wayward meetingsBuild a strong project teamCreate a realistic schedule--and stay on trackManage stakeholders' expectationsArm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

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Few people can write with as much authority on the English language as Bryan A. Garner. The author of "The" "Chicago Manual of Style" s popular Grammar and Usage chapter, Garner is adept at explaining the vagaries of English with absolute precision and utmost clarity. With "The Chicago Guide to English Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation," he has written the definitive guide for writers who want their prose to be both memorable and correct. Throughout the book Garner describes standard literary English the forms that mark writers and speakers as educated users of the language. He also offers historical context for understanding the development of these forms. The section on grammar explains how the canonical parts of speech came to be identified, while the section on syntax covers the nuances of sentence patterns as well as both traditional sentence diagramming and transformational grammar. The usage section offers an unprecedented trove of empirical evidence in the form of Google Ngrams, diagrams that illustrate the changing prevalence of specific terms over decades and even centuries of English literature. The book also covers punctuation and word formation, concluding with an exhaustive glossary of grammatical terms and a bibliography of suggested further reading and references. "The Chicago Guide to English Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation "is a magisterial work, the culmination of Garner s life-long study of the English language. The result is a landmark resource that will offer clear guidelines to students, writers, and editors alike"

A set of advice to succeed on the job and overcome challenges at work. Master your most pressing professional challenges with this seven-volume set that collects the smartest best practices from leading experts all in one place. HBR Guide to Better Business Writing and HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations help you perfect your communication skills; HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across and HBR Guide to Office Politics show you how to build the best professional relationships; HBR Guide to Finance Basics for Managers is the one book you’ll ever need to teach you about the numbers; HBR Guide to Project Management addresses tough questions such as how to manage stakeholder expectations and how to manage uncertainty in a complex project; and HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done goes beyond basic productivity tips to teach you how to prioritize and focus on your work. This specially priced set of the most popular books in the series makes a perfect gift for aspiring leaders looking for trusted advice. Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, from the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

DON'T LET YOUR WRITING HOLD YOU BACK. When you're fumbling for words and pressed for time, you might be tempted to dismiss good business writing as a luxury. But it's a skill you must cultivate to succeed: You'll lose time, money, and influence if your e-mails, proposals, and other important documents fail to win people over. The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, by writing expert Bryan A. Garner, gives you the tools you need to express your ideas clearly and persuasively so clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and partners will get behind them. This book will help you: * Push past writer's block * Grab--and keep--readers' attention * Earn credibility with tough audiences * Trim the fat from your writing * Strike the right tone * Brush up on grammar, punctuation, and usage

DON'T LET YOUR WRITING HOLD YOU BACK. When you're fumbling for words and pressed for time, you might be tempted to dismiss good business writing as a luxury. But it's a skill you must cultivate to succeed: You'll lose time, money, and influence if your e-mails, proposals, and other important documents fail to win people over. The HBR Guide to Better Business Writing, by writing expert Bryan A. Garner, gives you the tools you need to express your ideas clearly and persuasively so clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and partners will get behind them. This book will help you:Push past writer's blockGrab--and keep--readers' attentionEarn credibility with tough audiencesTrim the fat from your writingStrike the right toneBrush up on grammar, punctuation, and usageArm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Focusing on the argumentative, narrative, and descriptive style found in legal briefs and judicial opinions, The Elements of Legal Style (second edition) will be a thought provoking examination of effective argumentation in law.

What's the singular of paparazzi? Is graffiti singular or plural? What about kudos? Should I say empathic or empathetic? Is it a couple of dozen or a couple dozen? What's the correct pronunciation of concierge? Or schism? Or flaccid? In this book of crisp, precise, and often witty pronouncements on modern American English, Bryan Garner decisively answers these and thousands of other questions that bedevil those who care about the language. Garner draws on massive evidence to support his judgments, citing thousands of examples--good, bad, and ugly--from sources such as The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. No one can browse through the book without sharing the authors spirited awareness of how words work and his relish for exposing the affectations that bloat our language. And even if you don't have the time for browsing, but simply want a quick answer to an editorial riddle, this book is your best bet.