From the Errors of Others: How to Avoid Embarrassing Mistakes in Writing and Speaking

From the Errors of Others is a collection of crisp, witty, and slyly informative essays for grownups with a sense of humor. The subject is communication--good, bad, and patently bizarre. The author is Rebecca Lyles, an experienced editor but not a wrist-slapping schoolmarm. Neither giggly nor ponderous, she eagerly tells tales out of school. There are boneheads and blowhards in our midst, she says, but we dont have to take them seriously. And we certainly dont have to imitate them.

From the...