Oxford A-Z of Better Spelling

Book excerpt: Good spelling is fundamental to making the right impression with any type of writing; reports, homework, CVs, and letters all require correct spelling in order to get the message across in clear and straightforward English. Adaptable or adaptible? Definite or definate? Delirious or delireous? What is the difference between assent and ascent, dual and duel, or forbear and forebear? How do you make the plural of halo? Is it halos or haloes? Actually it's both, but not so for potato, the plural of which is potatoes. Knowing the difference between easily confusable words, making plurals, and adding endings are just some of the aspects of spelling that confront us with endless pitfalls. This easy-to-use A-Z guide does what no spellchecker can do: it gives immediate access not only to individual word spellings but also to general rules that will help you develop good spelling. The book covers the topics in simple and helpful terms and also offers advice on how to use apostrophes and hyphens, and the differences between British and American spelling. The core of the book is a list of over 2,000 words laid out for quick and easy reference. Based on evidence of misspelling gathered from real situations, this guide is the most useful and comprehensive help on spelling available. This new edition makes the benefits of the material more explicit to the general reader: better organization of the supplementary features, simplified and more transparent design, additional and updated content, and more clearly written rules.