This book is not as comprehensive as some of the others out there because I have chosen to concentrate on those areas that I know, from my years as an editor, to be the ones where writers are likeliest to need help. Many aspects of the language are intuitively understood by almost everybody, and it seems a waste of people’s time to review what they are almost certain to already know. Those style guides that take the approach of “leave nothing out” are unquestionably the right choice for anyone learning English as a second language or with an interest in acquiring an academic understanding of how the language works. The readership I am envisioning, however, consists of individuals who already know English well and just want some specific answers on tricky topics. As it is, I realize that many readers will already have a firm handle on much of the material presented here, but I have attempted to provide answers to—or at least reassurance on—the most probable questions.
