In the most reliable and readable guide to effective writing for the Americans of today, Wilson answers questions of meaning, grammar, pronunciation, punctuation, and spelling in thousands of clear, concise entries. His guide is unique in presenting a systematic, comprehensive view of language as determined by context. Wilson provides a simple chart of contexts--from oratorical speech to intimate, from formal writing to informal--and explains in which contexts a particular usage is appropriate, and in which it is not.

The Columbia Guide to Standard American English provides the...