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Usage and abusage

by Eric Partridge

Usage and Abusage is a classic that has stood up well to the passage of time. But language does evolve over the years, and new problems (such as the use of "hopefully") and current topics (such as "sexism") have engendered a whole new vocabulary, which cannot be omitted from any book discussing the English of the 1990s. In this new edition, Janet Whitcut has revised Partridge's popular reference book to reflect the language of well-informed writers, readers, and speakers today. In addition, she has added a section to the book entitled Vogue Words, which includes words such as "crash" "symbiotic," and "viable" that have acquired a power and an influence beyond those that they originally possessed. Usage and Abusage wittily attacks linguistic abusage of all kinds and offers constructive advice on the proper use of English.