Tag Archives: Sir Ernest Gowers

Of pedants, mavens, sticklers and …

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Ingrid Tieken

… only-snoopers! This is a term adopted by Sir Ernest Gowers in his discussion of the placement of only in Plain Words, another old chestnut in the usage guide tradition. The term reminds me of which-hunting, something pedants and other prescriptivists are renowned … Continue reading →

Posted in usage features, usage guide | Tagged placement of only, Sir Ernest Gowers | 1 Comment

2014’s most remarkable events in prescriptivism

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

It’s new year’s eve, and time to look back on the year that is almost behind us! Several remarkable events happened this year, events that we all reported on in this blog. First there was the new edition of Sir … Continue reading →

Posted in announcement | Tagged CIA, English Today, HUGE database, Rebecca Gowers, Sir Ernest Gowers, Steven Pinker | Leave a comment

Congratulations, Rebecca Gowers …

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

… on the appearance of your revised and updated edition of Plain Words! We are delighted to have been given a copy, and look forward to reading it.

Posted in news, usage guide | Tagged Sir Ernest Gowers | Leave a comment

More usage guides in 2014?

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Ingrid Tieken

The present year promises to be a good year for usage guides. Later this month, Rebecca Gowers’s new edition of her great-grandfather’s Plain Words will be published, an e-version of David Crystal’s Who Cares about English Usage will come out, … Continue reading →