The self-proclaimed "utterly correct guide to clarity and style," Dreyer's English is an informative and entertaining guide to writing by the copy chief of Random House. Dreyer's goal: to "write about the issues I most often run across while copyediting and how I attempt to address them, about topics where I thought I truly had something to add to the conversation, and about curiosities and aranca that interested or simply amused me." This not, nor intended to be, an exhaustive guidebook. He looks at tidying up prose, rules and nonrules, punctuation, numbers, foreign words, a little grammar, frequently misspelled words, confusing matters, handling proper nouns, and more.
English has rules- sort of. But not really. Some are hard and fast- but there are always exceptions.
The English language . . . is not so easily ruled and regulated. It developed without codification, sucking up new constructions and vocabulary every time some foreigner set foot on the British Isles-to say nothing of the mischief we Americans have wreaked on it these last few centuries-and continues to evolve anarchically. It has, to my great dismay, no enforceable laws, much less someone to enforce the laws it doesn't have.
We, of course, look to the dictionary. Yet "the dictionary takes its cues from use: If writers don't change things, the dictionary doesn't change things." As a result, Dreyer's approach is to be rigid when needed but flexible in many matters- "if a style choice follows the rules but results in something that looks awful or makes no sense on the page, rethink it." He knows his stuff, but doesn't rely overmuch on the technical terminology- "you'd be amazed at how far you can get in life having no idea what the subjunctive mood is."
I loved this book, and intend to keep it as a handy reference. Dreyer explains concepts well, is the master of his craft, includes a healthy dose of humor, and is pleasingly flexible/accommodating in his edicts. I learned a lot. Highly recommended.
Rating: A
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