Yet another writing guide...and this one sounds good

From the L.A. Times blog Jacket Copy comes this:

F. Scott Fitzgerald was a notoriously poor speller; it's one of those endearing details of the legend of a great writer. But none of us are Fitzgeralds, so to work on the mechanics of your writing, you can get started with Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors, which Broadway Books is set to publish this month by bestselling author Bill Bryson.

Among such blind spots are those traps familiar to anyone writing about literature (it's Stephen Dedalus, not Daedalus) or about medicine (it's Down syndrome, not Down's syndrome). There are also plenty of words that writers misapply: "crass," for instance, isn't just tasteless — it's "stupid and grossly ignorant to the point of insensitivity." "A thing must be pretty bad to be crass," Bryson writes. "Enormity" doesn't refer to size but to the wickedness of something. I'm guilty of misusing that one.

I went to Bryson's site to read more about the book:

What is the difference between “immanent” and “imminent”? What is the singular form of graffiti? What is the difference between “acute” and “chronic”? What is the former name of “Moldova”? What is the difference between a cardinal number and an ordinal number? One of the English language's most skilled writers answers these and many other questions and guides us all toward precise, mistake-free usage.

Hmm. I know the difference between cardinal and ordinal, and the singular form of graffiti (graffito), but I didn't know that "immanent" was even a real word, and it seems I've been misusing enormity all my life. This sounds like a useful and fun reference volume (and the best reference books are always both useful and fun).

Comments

[Nan]

I'll have to watch for it. Sounds like a great reference book.

Down syndrome is one of my pet annoyances. I want to know why it changed. If Down's was fine in the 80s, why is it Down now? Were apostrophes suddenly in short supply? The change occured after the switch away from hot type, so it couldn't have been the result of a lead shortage. The same thing has happened to other diseases and disorders, e.g., Alzheimer's is now Alzheimer and Cushing's is Cushing, and I don't like it. It weakens the historical connection with the physicians or scientists who first recognized the various conditions were unique disorders or diseases. I'm not big on hagiography, but I appreciated the reminder that Down was an actual person and not just an adjective.

[nancy]

It sounds great. Order up!

[Ranger Bob]

My peeve: "Lyme's disease." There was no Dr. Lyme, dammit!