My daughter once asked a friend of mine, who is a singer, whether she was famous. ‘I’m not famous,’ came the reply. ‘But I’m well-known in the profession.’ Martin Manser is well-known in the professions of ELT reference and lexicography, and his edited work Good Word Guide: The fast way to correct English – spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage is now in its sixth edition. The book comes with the imprimatur of the Plain Language Commission, an organisation which promotes the use of clear, comprehensible English, and a foreword by its director Martin Cutts. In it, he laments the dual problems of inadequate literacy levels and unclear writing, while taking a swipe at the pedantry which so often bedevils writing about the English language.

At just under 450 pages, the Good Word Guide provides guidance on avoiding the most common pitfalls presented by the English language, and on producing writing which is clear, accurate and easy to read. The book is organised alphabetically, with entries of varying length, interspersed with more than twenty tables. These range from lists of affixes, Americanisms, and non-sexist terms, to extensive advice on the use of the various punctuation marks, as well as guides to usage in areas such as email, letter writing and writing style in general.

Opening a page at random, I find entries on the correct spelling and pronunciation of diphtheria and diphthong; contrastive entries on confusable words such as disc and disk, or dingy and dinghy; the current usage relating to words like disabled and dimension; and a brief outline of the social and cultural minefield represented by the terms dinner, lunch, tea and supper. There are numerous examples where appropriate, and extensive cross-referencing.

The tone throughout is measured, and the advice on what to do and what not to do is based on how readers will react to what you write, rather than on outdated and arbitrary ‘rules’. On the ever-thorny topic of split infinitives, for example, the entry observes: The practice is disliked by some but very widely used. It goes on to note that the prohibition on separating to from the verb is relatively recent and is based on the application of the rules of Latin grammar to a completely different language, English (in Latin, verb infinitives consist of a single word and thus are impossible to split). The advice given is that since many people object to split infinitives, it is probably best to try and avoid them, especially in formal writing. However, the entry goes on to give numerous examples of cases where using a split infinitive is actually preferable, because it makes the meaning clearer. It ends with the observation that avoiding splitting the infinitive goes against the rhythms of spoken English: compare I hope to really enjoy myself with I hope really to enjoy myself.

The book is aimed mainly at native speakers of English who need to express themselves in writing, whether through reports, essays, formal letters or other types of writing. It would also be useful for advanced learners of English who wish to improve their writing skills. It is a shame that, unlike other reference titles from this publisher, the book is rather badly printed on coarse yellowish paper, which makes it much less pleasant to use.

Good Word Guide
edited by Martin Manser
A & C Black
2007
ISBN 0 7136 7759 1