How Wilson Follett Taught Us to Use English Correctly and Effectively
Modern American Usage: A Guide Wilson Follett
Introduction
If you are a writer or an editor who cares about the quality and accuracy of your language, you might want to consult a reliable and authoritative guide on how to use words and sentences correctly and effectively. One such guide is Modern American Usage: A Guide, written by Wilson Follett and published posthumously in 1966. In this article, we will explore who Wilson Follett was, what his guide is about, and why it is still relevant and useful for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills.
Modern American Usage: A Guide Wilson Follett
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Who was Wilson Follett?
Wilson Follett (1887-1963) was an American writer, editor, and teacher who had a passion for the English language. He wrote novels, essays, reviews, and biographies, as well as edited several magazines and books. He also taught English at various universities, including Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton. He was known for his meticulous attention to detail, his clear and elegant style, and his deep knowledge of grammar, syntax, and usage. He spent the last years of his life working on a comprehensive guide to modern American usage, which he intended to be a definitive reference for writers and editors.
What is Modern American Usage?
Modern American Usage: A Guide is a book that covers all aspects of the English language as used in the United States in the mid-20th century. It is divided into three parts: principles, categories, and examples. The principles section explains the general rules and standards that govern good usage. The categories section describes the different elements of language, such as grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and diction. The examples section illustrates how to apply the principles and categories to specific cases of usage, with hundreds of examples from various sources.
Why is this guide important for writers and editors?
This guide is important for writers and editors because it provides them with a comprehensive and authoritative source of information on how to use the English language correctly and effectively. It helps them to avoid common errors, to choose the best words and expressions for their purposes, to vary their style according to their audience and context, and to appreciate the richness and diversity of the language. It also helps them to understand the historical and regional influences that shape usage, as well as the variations and preferences that exist among different users.
Main features of the guide
The principles of usage
The guide begins with a discussion of the principles that underlie good usage. These are clarity, consistency, and elegance. Clarity means that the writer or editor should make sure that their words and sentences convey their intended meaning clearly and unambiguously. Consistency means that they should follow the same rules and standards throughout their work, unless there is a good reason to deviate from them. Elegance means that they should strive for grace and beauty in their language, avoiding unnecessary words, awkward constructions, or dull expressions.
Clarity
The guide emphasizes that clarity is the most important principle of usage, because without it, communication is impossible or ineffective. The guide offers several tips on how to achieve clarity, such as using simple and familiar words, avoiding jargon and slang, using concrete and specific terms, avoiding ambiguity and vagueness, using modifiers correctly, using parallelism and coordination, and avoiding misplaced or dangling modifiers.
Consistency
The guide also stresses that consistency is essential for good usage, because it helps the reader to follow the writer's or editor's logic and argument. The guide advises the writer or editor to be consistent in their use of grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and diction, as well as in their tone, voice, and point of view. The guide also warns against mixing different levels of formality, different varieties of English, or different systems of notation.
Elegance
The guide further suggests that elegance is desirable for good usage, because it adds charm and interest to the language. The guide encourages the writer or editor to seek elegance in their choice of words and expressions, avoiding clichés, redundancies, euphemisms, or exaggerations. The guide also recommends using figures of speech, such as metaphors, similes, analogies, or personifications, to create vivid and memorable images. The guide also advises using variety and rhythm in their sentence structure, avoiding monotony or choppiness.
The categories of usage
The guide then proceeds to describe the different categories of usage, which are the elements that make up the language. These are grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and diction. Grammar is the set of rules that govern how words are formed and arranged in sentences. Syntax is the study of how sentences are constructed and connected. Punctuation is the use of marks to separate and clarify words and sentences. Spelling is the system of writing words with letters. Diction is the choice and use of words and expressions.
Grammar
The guide covers all the major topics of grammar, such as parts of speech, number, gender, case, tense, mood, voice, agreement, pronouns, articles, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. It explains the functions and forms of each part of speech, as well as the common errors and pitfalls to avoid. It also discusses some controversial or disputed issues in grammar, such as split infinitives, ending sentences with prepositions, or using singular they.
Syntax
The guide also covers all the important aspects of syntax, such as clauses, phrases, modifiers, subjects, predicates, objects, complements, appositives, and elliptical constructions. It explains how to combine and coordinate clauses and phrases to form complex and compound sentences. It also explains how to use modifiers correctly to modify nouns, verbs, or other modifiers. It also discusses some problematic or challenging issues in syntax, such as parallelism, subordination, coordination, and inversion.
Punctuation
The guide also covers all the essential rules and guidelines for punctuation, such as periods, commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, hyphens, apostrophes, quotation marks, parentheses, brackets, slashes, and question marks. It explains how to use each mark to separate and clarify words and sentences. It also explains how to use punctuation to indicate emphasis, tone, or style. It also discusses some common errors and confusions in punctuation, such as comma splices, run-on sentences, or misplaced quotation marks.
Spelling
The guide also covers all the basic principles and conventions for spelling, such as vowel sounds, consonant sounds, syllables, prefixes, suffixes, roots, and compounds. It explains how to spell words correctly according to their pronunciation and meaning. It also explains how to use spelling rules and patterns to help with spelling unfamiliar or difficult words. It also discusses some variations and preferences in spelling among different users or regions of English such as American or British spelling.
Diction
The guide also covers all the key factors and criteria for diction such as clarity consistency elegance accuracy appropriateness and effectiveness. It explains how to choose and use words and expressions that convey the intended meaning clearly and unambiguously. It also explains how to avoid words and expressions that are vague ambiguous confusing or misleading. It also discusses some sources and influences on diction such as etymology history culture region or genre.
The examples of usage
The guide concludes with a section that illustrates how to apply the principles, categories, and examples of usage to specific cases of usage, with hundreds of examples from various sources. The examples cover common errors and how to avoid them, such as dangling participles, faulty parallelism, or mixed metaphors. The examples also cover variations and preferences in usage, such as formal and informal language, American and British English, or prescriptive and descriptive approaches. The examples also cover historical and regional influences on usage, such as archaic and modern words, standard and nonstandard dialects, or global and local idioms.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored who Wilson Follett was, what his guide Modern American Usage: A Guide is about, and why it is still relevant and useful for writers and editors. We have seen that his guide is a comprehensive and authoritative source of information on how to use the English language correctly and effectively. We have also seen that his guide is based on three principles of usage: clarity, consistency, and elegance. We have also seen that his guide covers all the categories of usage: grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and diction. We have also seen that his guide provides hundreds of examples of usage from various sources.
Summary of the main points
To summarize the main points of this article:
Wilson Follett was an American writer, editor, and teacher who had a passion for the English language.
He wrote a comprehensive guide to modern American usage, which he intended to be a definitive reference for writers and editors.
His guide is divided into three parts: principles, categories, and examples.
His guide is based on three principles of usage: clarity, consistency, and elegance.
His guide covers all the categories of usage: grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, and diction.
His guide provides hundreds of examples of usage from various sources.
Recommendations for further reading
If you are interested in learning more about Wilson Follett and his guide Modern American Usage: A Guide, you might want to check out these resources:
Modern American Usage: A Guide by Wilson Follett: This is the original book by Wilson Follett that we have discussed in this article. It is available in print and online formats.
Modern American Usage: A Guide (Revised and Updated) by Erik Wensberg: This is a revised and updated edition of Wilson Follett's book that was published in 1998. It incorporates new words and expressions that have emerged since the original publication. It also includes a foreword by Jacques Barzun and an introduction by Erik Wensberg.
The Follett Folio by John Simon: This is a review of Wilson Follett's book that was published in The New York Times in 1966. It praises the book as a "masterpiece" and a "monument" to the English language.
The Language Wars by Joan Acocella: This is an article that was published in The New Yorker in 2012. It discusses the history and controversies of English usage guides, including Wilson Follett's book. It also compares different approaches to usage, such as prescriptive and descriptive.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about Wilson Follett and his guide Modern American Usage: A Guide:
When did Wilson Follett die?
Wilson Follett died on March 25th, 1963 at the age of 75. He died before he could finish his guide to modern American usage, which he had been working on for over a decade.
Who completed Wilson Follett's guide?
Wilson Follett's guide was completed by a team of editors led by Jacques Barzun, a renowned scholar and writer who was a friend and colleague of Follett. The team of editors also included Carlos Baker, Erik Wensberg, Alfred Kazin, and Lionel Trilling. They used Follett's notes and drafts to finish the guide and publish it in 1966.
How is Wilson Follett's guide different from other usage guides?
Wilson Follett's guide is different from other usage guides in several ways. First, it is more comprehensive and authoritative than most other usage guides, covering all aspects of the language in detail and depth. Second, it is more balanced and nuanced than most other usage guides, acknowledging the variations and preferences that exist among different users and regions of English, as well as the historical and regional influences that shape usage. Third, it is more elegant and graceful than most other usage guides, using clear and beautiful language to explain and illustrate usage.
Is Wilson Follett's guide still relevant and useful today?
Wilson Follett's guide is still relevant and useful today for several reasons. First, it is still a reliable and authoritative source of information on how to use the English language correctly and effectively. Second, it is still a valuable and insightful resource for understanding the history and diversity of the language. Third, it is still a enjoyable and inspiring work of art that showcases the beauty and richness of the language.
Where can I find Wilson Follett's guide?
You can find Wilson Follett's guide in various formats and editions. You can buy or borrow a print copy of the original or revised edition from a bookstore or a library. You can also access an online version of the original edition from various websites, such as archive.org or bartleby.com. You can also download an e-book version of the revised edition from various platforms, such as Amazon Kindle or Google Play Books.
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