Mind the Gaffe

The Penguin guide to common errors in English.

Can you describe something as very real? Is it appropriate to use the phrase bon viveur? Are you sometimes tempted to write the word utilize instead of use, or albeit when but will do?

For anyone who has ever found written English a potential minefield of disasters, Mind the Gaffe will help you avoid the blunders and howlers which could leave your readers either bemused or rolling on the floor with laughter.

In this straight-talking and highly entertaining book, Larry Trask gives forthright advice on how to write simply and effectively, highlighting pretentious words that should be avoided at all costs (synergy, interface, feedback …); suggesting guidelines for the use of e-mail; and adjudicating on hundreds of contentious issues, from split infinitives to whether you should write napkin or serviette.