One Day in the Life of the English Language: A Microcosmic Usage Handbook

by Frank L. Cioffi

Overview

A one-of-a-kind handbook that uses a day in the life of written English to illustrate the benefits of effective grammar

Generations of student writers have been subjected to usage handbooks that proclaim, "This is the correct form. Learn it"—books that lay out a grammar, but don't inspire students to use it. By contrast, this antihandbook handbook, presenting some three hundred sentences drawn from the printed works of a single, typical day in the life of the language—December 29, 2008—tries to persuade readers that good grammar and usage matter.

Using real-world sentences rather than invented ones, One Day in the Life of the English Language gives students the motivation to apply grammatical principles correctly and efficiently. Frank Cioffi argues that proper form undergirds effective communication and ultimately even makes society work more smoothly, while nonstandard English often marginalizes or stigmatizes a writer. He emphasizes the evolving nature of English usage and debunks some cherished but flawed grammar precepts. Is it acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition? It is. Can you start a sentence with a conjunction? You can. OK to split an infinitive? No problem.

A grammar and usage handbook like no other, One Day in the Life of the English Language features accessible chapters divided into "Fundamentals," "Fine Tuning," and "Deep Focus," allowing readers to select a level most suited to their needs. It also includes a glossary, a teachers' guide, and a section refuting some myths about digital-age English.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691165073
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2015
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Frank L. Cioffi is professor of English at Baruch College, City University of New York, and has taught writing at Princeton and Indiana universities and at Bard and Scripps colleges. He is the author of The Imaginative Argument: A Practical Manifesto for Writers (Princeton), among other books.

Table of Contents

Preface xi
Navigation Tips xix
Introduction
The Starting Idea: You and Your Audience 1
Preview of the Following Pages 7
December 29, 2008, as History 10
Two Disclaimers 20
On Using Sentences from the Real World 23
Formal Usage—Its Rules and Value 31
"If you don't have grammar, you don't have sense" 40
1Actants, Actions, Ongoing States: Nouns, Verbs, and the Sentences They Form
Why Learn the Parts of Speech? 45
Fundamentals 49
Fine Tuning 56
Deep Focus 71
2Words That Modify and Orient: Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Prepositions, Articles, Interjections
The Power of Small Words Well Deployed 88
Adjectives 89
Adverbs 99
Conjunctions 114
Prepositions 123
Articles 128
Interjections 133
3Who Is He/She? Pronouns
A Whole Chapter on Pronouns? 134
Fundamentals 135
Fine Tuning 150
Deep Focus 160
4Punctuation, Part I—The Comma: Promiscuous Uses
Introduction: Punctuation Substitutes for Oral Emphases, Facial Expressions, and Body Language 167
Fundamentals 169
Fine Tuning 193
Deep Focus 200
5Punctuation, Part II—The Colon, Semicolon, and More Mysteries of Punctuation The Colon and Semicolon 207
The Apostrophe 217
The Dash 228
The Quotation Mark 232
End Punctuation and Combining Sentences 241
6Diction: Sentences as Clockwork
On the Interconnectedness of Words 254
Fundamentals 258
A Microconclusion 286
Appendix I: Fifteen Myths of Digital-Age English 293
Appendix II: Using This Book to Teach College Writing: A Microguide 301
Fifty Key Terms: A Microglossary 317
Works Cited
General Sources 329
December 29, 2008, Examples 335
Index 351

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"One Day in the Life of the English Language is a welcome departure from the vast majority of grammar handbooks. Cioffi suggests that instead of memorizing tons of rules about sentence structure, students should internalize how sentences work—and with the motivation he gives, students have the incentive to want to write well. I truly love this book."—Elizabethada A. Wright, University of Minnesota

"One Day in the Life of the English Language is a book for all writers and teachers of writing—without getting mired in minutia. Cioffi examines the English language as it actually is written today, in the real world rather than how it ‘should' be written—a simple but powerful concept that easily lends itself to any classroom. Cioffi knows his subject inside out."—Rebecca Chace, author of Leaving Rock Harbor

"Students will find Cioffi's approach intriguing and refreshing, since he is not merely telling them what they should do, but describing options currently in print. They will also enjoy his humorous and casual tone."—Lydia McDermott, Whitman College

Editorial Reviews

"Cioffi has created a different kind of grammar handbook, one that not only lays out the ‘rules' of Standard English but also makes readers more sensitive to language and so better able to communicate ideas. . . . He used the material in this book in a freshman composition course, to good effect, and readers will find that this clever book sharpens their awareness."

Choice

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016

From the Publisher

"Cioffi effectively employs a fast-paced narrative style that readers will find entertaining and insightful."

Teaching Matters Monthly

02/01/2015
Cioffi's approach to grammar is unusual. Instead of reviewing and reinforcing rules on sentence structure and other related precepts, the author examines the English language as it is actually written in the real world of today and places great emphasis on its evolving nature. In fact, Cioffi (writing director, Baruch Coll.) challenges many accepted conventions and wholeheartedly endorses new practices such as beginning sentences with conjunctions, ending them with prepositions, and splitting infinitives. At the same time, he argues that proper form still enhances effective communication while nonstandard English often marginalizes or stigmatizes a writer. To make his points, Cioffi effectively employs a fast-paced narrative style that readers will find entertaining and insightful, especially in the chapters on parts of speech, punctuation, and diction. Somewhat reminiscent of Strunk and White's Elements of Style in its simplicity, conciseness, and readability, the work includes a bibliography, glossary, and a teachers' guide. The section refuting 15 myths about digital-age English is superb. Although no substitute for the comprehensiveness of more traditional works such as the Harbrace College Handbook, The Little, Brown Essential Handbook, or Edward D. Johnson's Handbook of Good English, this title certainly has a place in most collections. VERDICT The work is accessible, fun to read, and packed with helpful information on almost every page. It will appeal to a wide audience—not only those who love grammar but also those who do not.—Rob Tench, Old Dominion Univ. Lib., Norfolk, VA

Library Journal

2014-11-18
A chatty grammar manual.Acknowledging that there are many books imparting grammar and usage rules, Cioffi (Writing Director/Baruch Coll.; The Imaginative Argument: A Practical Manifesto for Writers, 2005, etc.) set out to do something different: "provide a human voice chatting about those rules, one that used real-world rather than manufactured language as its model, and one that tried to show how using language carefully can make a difference in terms of human interactions." The author's 300 real-world samples come from newspapers (USA Today and the International Herald Tribune recur) and magazines (Sports Illustrated, the New Yorker) from Dec. 29, 2008, a day he chose "because of its very ordinariness." Although some of the sentences refer to movie stars, bank failures, sports events and other trendy topics, the selections, taken out of context, are sometimes more confusing than the grammar rules they're supposed to exemplify. Cioffi's goal of being chatty is amply fulfilled, but there's a disconnect between that breezy tone and his explanations of grammatical points. Although the author says he assigns the book in a first-year writing class, his audience seems to be fairly sophisticated working adults (don't correct your boss's grammar, he advises) who may feel anxious about how others "judge and categorize" their social class, education and intelligence by their grammar proficiency. Besides six chapters covering fundamentals of grammar—parts of speech, punctuation and diction—Cioffi includes a glossary of 50 key terms that he already has defined in the text. One appendix debunks 15 grammar myths, many of which can be boiled down to the assumption that grammar doesn't matter in the age of tweets and self-publishing; another appendix offers hints about how to use the book as a classroom text. A teacher's help would be required for students to find this book useful.

Kirkus Reviews