The King's English

[mmasny]

Would you recommend I buy the book? I was recently told about the other famous Fowler's book, Modern English Usage. TheParser said it was a classic that I should see some day. How about The King's English? Is it as important and/or as teaching?

 

[Tdol]

It's online if you want to have a look: ESL Web Directory: Search Results

While some of his ideas have dated and are disputed or at odds with current usage, it's still around and over a hundred years old, and the Fowlers, especially HW with his Dictionary of Modern English Usage, have had an enormous impact. It prescriptive, but any of the prescriptions are common sense IMO, such as recommending using single words where possible rather than circumlocutions and concrete words instead of abstract ones.

 

[mmasny]

I don't understand what's going on. When I click your link I see this:
Your search for fowler returned 0 categories and 1 link
But the link isn't there. I tried with 'grammar' and saw:
Your search for grammar returned 2 categories and 232 links
No links, no categories at all.

I found the book by googling already, but it would be good to learn how this search works.

 

[Anglika]

fowler english usage - Google Search

This link leads you to those sites containing the text of the early edition or information about Fowler. Up to you to select the most useful.

 

[Raymott]

There are three editions of Fowler's Modern English Usage.
The original has too many prescriptions that are now out of date.
The third has been criticised as being too descriptive, and not in the spirit of Fowler.

I have the second edition, 1965, which I can mostly agree with, and which is certainly worth looking at. (The 3 ed. might be too, but I haven't read it).

I think The King's English would be too outdated for a learner.