A Concise Dictionary of Correct English

by Brian A. Phythian

A practical guide to correct English, which offers advice on avoiding common pitfalls and examples of both good and incorrect usage. From the TEACH YOURSELF series.

Genres: Reference, Language

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Ashton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Presumptuous and pedantic, Phythian's elitist undertones throughout A Concise Dictionary of CORRECT ENGLISH (his caps, not mine) make it difficult for me to regard this as an actual dictionary. Phythian, or B.A.P. as he signs, prefaces the book by thanking the stunning illiteracy of others for allowing him the opportunity to compile this redemption of the English language. While he never explicitly refers to himself as Jesus, upon finishing the book one can't help but feel that B.A.P. thinks himself as such, a savior of the semantically misinformed, a masked vigilante slinking through the dimly lit corridors of long-abandoned libraries to retrieve and resurrect only the most archaic of grammatical esotericisims straddling the boundary between 'practically irrelevant' and 'the last person to actually use this construction died before I was born.' But where there's a will, there's a way. And where there's a language evolving naturally and beautifully, there's a pedagogically traditional grammarian distressed about its purported undoing.

[David Mellonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb reference book from a bygone era, with some word usages that may have changed since it was written, but that is the fate of any book. Simple, concise, clear, and a wonderful example of the elegant clarity that can be achieved by a master practitioner of the English language. Sadly, there is hardly anybody who speaks or writes like this any more (or who would be appreciated for it in this day and age), but it is a highly beneficial exercise to read the words of someone who once did.