English language grammar style and usage

Do you have a question about the correct usage of the semicolon or how to place adverbs in a sentence? If so, you've come to the right place. These pages are a complete English grammar guide filled with the rules of English usage. Each grammatical rule is explained in plain English with several examples, and when needed, counter-examples. The grammatical rules covered by this guide are categorized below. English grammar is not always easy to understand, but by using this guide you should be able to remind yourself of the rules of English usage and speak or write English with confidence.

I've also been experimenting with a new search engine. It's very rudimentary, but may be useful. These notes are a miscellany of grammatical rules and explanations, comments on style , and suggestions on usage I put together for my classes. Anyone who can resist turning my own preferences into dogma is welcome to use this HTML edition. Feedback is always welcome. I should be clear up front: I'm not a linguist, nor a scholar of the history of the language. If you're curious about who I am, you can look at my CV and decide whether I'm worth listening to.

The style Bible for trade especially academic books and some magazines, and many professional copyeditors use the online edition. It's a style "guide," not a rule book, and the rules may be relaxed in particular for editing fiction and books containing dialogue, in which what you want to do is convey a speaker's style, not correctness. The spiral-bound edition holds up better than the paperback. Each revision brings surprises. For example, the version addresses language about gender and about addition, advising to "avoid words like abuse, problem, addict and abuser in most uses. The blog AP vs. Chicago compares Associated Press style and Chicago style.