Had Dickens owned a copy of "The King's English" he would not have written "your great ability and trustfulness"; he would have recognized the malapropism and realized that the context demanded trustworthiness. In this classic reference book, the Fowler brothers highlight common blunders of English usage, and guide the reader to improved expression and style. The mistakes are illustrated with examples taken from famous authors and newspapers, for example, Thackeray, Ruskin, De Quincey, "The Times", and "The Spectator". Witty and lively in tone, it covers a wide range of language issues, including malapropisms, Americanisms, slang, pet phrases, and "the spot plague" (over-use of full stops), and has a whole chapter on "Airs and Graces". The introduction offers a modern perspective on the book and confirms its importance in literature.