(Still) Groping for Words: Usage and Slang Guides, Revisited

This essay first appeared in the September 2021 issue of Choice (volume 58 | issue 13)

Posted on October 13, 2021 in Bibliographic Essays

This essay first appeared in the September 2021 issue of Choice (volume 58 | issue 13)

Introduction:

Where does one go to find out if there is an apostrophe in “Presidents(’) Day”? Where does one look for information on the correct pronunciations of “Missouri,” “Nevada,” and “Oregon”? Where can one find the British variant of the American expression “line up”? Where does one look to determine whether to put a comma before the last item in a series? For answers to all these questions, one goes to a usage guide, of course. But which? Read the latest bibliographic essay to learn more.

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About the Author:

Edwin Battistella is in the division of humanities and culture at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.  His Dangerous Crooked Scoundrel: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump (2020) was an Oregon Book Award finalist in 2021. 

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