Better English

420 Pages·1961·21.72 MB·english

by  Norman Lewis

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LAUREL BY NORMAN LEWIS
FDITI0N
author of HOW TO READ BETTER AND FASTER
BETTER
ENGLISH
NEyVLY REVISED EDITION
Teach yourself to speak and write correctly for greater self-
confidence and effectiveness in your work and among people.
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Includes • A painless study of grammar • A sensible guide
to correct pronunciation • A handy list of spelling rules
and memory aids • Over 50 quizzes and achievement texts

Better English, by Norman Lewis,
author and teacher, famous for his adult
education courses at City College and New York
University, is a sensible and authoritative
guide to grammar, pronunciation and spelling-—'
a book that takes the pedantry
out of correct English.
GRAMMAR
Twenty-six comprehensive chapters.
Each opens with a realistic problem,
discusses enough grammar to make the solution
easy to understand and remember, closes
with a simply worded rule andfinally puts
you through an exacting test to make certain
you can apply all you have learned.
PRONUNCIATION
Six chapters, including a glossary
of troublesome words, discuss pronunciation
in termsofa sound, functional principle:
Correct pronunciation is the pronunciation
usedby the majority of educated
people throughout the country.
SPELLING
Some very famous people have been
poor spellers, but here you can correct
your own weaknesses by learning the thirteen
hardest words to spell and putting to use a
list of easy spelling rules and tricks
for remembering special words.
Books by Norman Lewis
30 DAYS TO A MORE POWERFUL VOCABULARY
(in collaboration with Wilfred Funk)
HOW TO READ BETTER AND FASTER
WORD POWER MADE EASY
HOW TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR READING
RAPID VOCABULARY BUILDER
20 DAYS TO BETTER SPELLING
BETTER ENGLISH
THE COMPREHENSrVE WORD GUIDE
Better English
(Revised Edition)
BY NORMAN LEWIS
+
A Laurel Edition
Published by
DELL PUBLISHING CO., INC.
750 Third Avenue, New York 17, N.Y.
© Copyright 1948, 1956, by Norman Lewis
® TM
Laurel 674623, Dell Publishing Co., Inc.
All rights reserved
Designed and produced by Western Printing
and Lithographing Company
Reprinted by permission of the Thomas Y.
Crowell Company, New York
—
First Dell printing April, 1961
Printed in U.S.A.
contents
Part
1
How toMakeGrammar Workfor You
1 What is Grammar? 15
2 A Test of YourPresent GrammaticalAbility 20
3 How to Deliver the Message to Garcia (verbs) 27
AsEasyasAB C
A. What is the difference between continual
and continuous? 33
B. Is it correct to. say, "He got sick"? 34
C. Which is preferable: "What's the sense of
arguing?" or "What's the sense in arguing?" 37
4 How to Call a Name (nouns) 38
AsEasyas AB C
A. What is the difference between let and
leave? 47
B. Is it correct to say, "Don't get mad if I tell
you the truth"? 48
C. Which is preferable: "What kind of day is
it?" or "What kind ofa day is it?" 50
5 How to Be Explicit (adjectives) 51
AsEasy asAB C
A. What is the difference between hung and
hanged? 59
B. Is it correct to say, "I would like to speak
to Mr. Sack"? 60
C. Which is preferable: mother-in-laws or
mothers-in-law? 60
6 How to Do Almost Anything (adverbs) 62
As EasyasAB C
A. What is the difference between incredible
and incredulous? 71
B. Is it correct to say, "I'll come providing
you invite me"? 72
C. Which is preferable: "Take two spoonsful
ofyourmedicine everyhour," or "Taketwo
spoonfuls of your medicine every hour"? 73
7 How to End a Sentence (prepositions) 75
AsEasy asAB C
A. What is the difference between imply and
infer? 84
B. Is it correct to say, "The reason I love you
is because you are so pretty"? 85
C. Which is correct: "The cat lickedit'spaws,"
or "The cat licked its paws"? 87
8 How to Substitute (pronouns) 89
AsEasyasAB C
A. What is the difference between stationary
and stationery? 94
B. Is it correct to say, "That dress is different
than mine"? 95
C. Which is correct: "He practices preventive
medicine," or "He practices preventative
medicine"? 99
9 How to Join (conjunctions) 100
AsEasyasAB C
A. What is the difference between ingenious
and ingenuous? 104
B. Is it correct to say, "It's a nice day"? 105
C. Which is preferable: "Now you're talking
like /," or "Now you're talking like me"? 106
10 How to Show Emotion (interjections) 108
AsEasyasAB C
A. What is the difference between rob and
steal? 109
B. Is it correct to say, "Can I have another
piece of cake?" 110
C. Which is preferable: "This data is interest-
ing," or "These data are interesting"? 116
—
11 How to Measure Your Progress Your First
Achievement Test 117
AsEasy asAB C
A. What is the difference between practicable
and practical? 127
B. Is it correct to say, "New York cannot boast
a particularly healthy climate"? 128
C. Which is preferable: "None of the men
were arrested," or "None of the men was
arrested"? 130
12 How to Make Your Verbs Agree (subjects and
predicates) 132
AsEasyasAB C
A. What is the difference betweenalumnus and
alumna? 141
B. Is it correct to say, "He is not as tall as he
looks"? 142
C. Which is preferable: "Measles is a bad dis-
ease," or "Measles are a bad disease"? 143
13 How to Get the Right Number (singulars and
plurals) 145
AsEasyasAB C
A. What is the difference between childish and
childlike? 150
B. Is it correct to say, "She was most aggra-
vated by what happened"? 151
C. Which is preferable: "One or two books is
enough," or "One or two books are
enough"? 152
14 How to Test a Verb (objects) 153
As Easy as AB C
A. What is the difference between uninterested
and disinterested? 162
B. Is it correct to say, "It's liable to rain," or
"It's apt to rain"? 163
C. Which is preferable: "A number of men are
here," or "A number of men is here"? 165
15 How to Keep Your Sanity with Lay and Lie
(transitive and intransitive verbs) 167
As Easyas AB C
A. What is the difference between fiance and
fiancee? 179
B. Is it correct to write, "The above remarks
are not intended to imply . . . ," or "The
above is a verbatim report of . . ."? 180
C. Which is preferable: "Three-quarters of
the work is done," or "Three-quarters of
the work are done"? 182
16 How to Let Circumstances Alter Cases (predicate
nominatives) 184
As Easy asAB C
A. What is the difference between allude and
refer? 192
B. Is it correct to say, "Everyone stood up and
shouted at the top of their lungs"? 193
C. Which is preferable: "Neither the President
nor the members of the cabinet is behind
the bill," or "Neither the President nor the
members of the cabinet are behind the
bill"? 200
17 How to Keep on Good Terms with Your Rela-
tives (who and whom) 202
AsEasy asAB C
A. What is the difference between credible and
creditable? 214
B. Is it correct to say, "Have you got my
book"? 215
C. Which is preferable: "Was it he you were
talking to?" or "Was it him you were talk-
ing to?" 217
18 How to FillIn (ellipsis) 219
AsEasy asA B C
A. What is the difference between ophthal-
mologist, oculist, optometrist and optician? 237