Title: The elephants of style : a trunkload of tips on the big issues and gray areas of contemporary American English /
Authors: Walsh, Bill
Publisher: McGraw-Hill,
Year: 2004
Subjects: English language United States Usage Handbooks, manuals, etc.; English language United States Style Handbooks, manuals, etc.; English language United States Usage Humor.; English language United States Style Humor.
Abstract: Provides an overview of the fundamental rules of the English language, including tips for mastering some of the more confusing spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization, and conjugation rules.
Contents: What we talk about when we talk about style -- Elephant no. 1. Remember that you're not using a typewriter : style begins with form and format ; Also, remember that you're in the United States -- Elephant no. 2. Letters of the law : common missteps in spelling -- Elephant no. 3. What's up? : all about capitalization ; Everything's generic ; What's in a nAME? -- Elephant no. 4. What to abbrev.? : the short and shorter of truncations, acronyms, and initialisms ; Initial reactions and second thoughts (IRAST) -- Elephant no. 5. Which one is right again? : a quick review of problem pairs (and trios and-- ) -- Elephant no. 6. Lies your English teacher told you : the big myths of English usage -- Elephant no. 7. Some gray areas : proceed with caution -- Elephant no. 8. Agreed? : making sure parts of speech get along -- Elephant no. 9. Cover your S : possessives and plurals -- Elephant no. 10. A number of problems : counting on 100 percent correctness -- Elephant no. 11. The adventures of Curly and Stitch : the comma, the hyphen, the headaches -- Elephant no. 12. Flair! Elan! Panache! : a few potshots about style-with-a-capital-S. Colors are pretty, but how about just giving it to me in black and white? ; What is, is : can't argue with that ; The spin wars : great moments in obfuscation ; Madam Chairman and that friggin' masseuse : taking linguistic evolution like a "-man" -- Elephant no. 13. Writers, typists, thieves, and liars : plagiarism and its kin -- Elephant no. 14. Writing and rewriting : a writer-turned-editor writes about editing and being edited. From From to To : everything's ranging ; Snarky specificity ; Literal and conservative : George Washington wasn't really our father -- The curmudgeon's stylebook (continued) : a Web FAQ.