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Common Errors in English Usage
Paul Brians
#HC4062
Paperback, 250 pages; 2003
$15.00
 Members' Price: $12.75
that/which I must confess that I do not myself observe the distinction between "that" and "which." Furthermore, there is little evidence that this distinction is or has ever been regularly made in past centuries by careful writers of English. However, a small but impassioned group of authorities has urged the distinction; so here is the information you will need to pacify them…
As a number of Bas Bleu's customers have been quick to point out, I've never mastered the "that/which" distinction. Consequently, Paul Brians's admission that he himself—English professor and usage-arbiter-of-preference to several media entities—has no great interest in the issue, endeared his book to me. Furthermore, his explanation (which follows the paragraph quoted above)—and the sentences he offers to clarify it—helped me to understand the distinction at last. Common Errors in English Usage provides succinct guidance on spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and usage for an alphabetical list of errors (some more subtle than others) that appear frequently in print and in speech. Best of all, Brians writes with humor and charm. It's as though he's patiently smiling as he answers your questions. To keep you or a wordsmith friend entertained and enlightened all year, we offer the 2008 Common Errors in English Usage Desk Calendar. Just 5¼" square, it sits on your desk and offers a lesson a day, e.g., the difference between "exalt" and "exult," the proper usage of the word "eponymous," and the correct pronunciation of "Oregon."
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