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Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right

bill bryson

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A revised and updated edition of a humorous primer on the English language, expanded for an American audience, contains entries on correct and questionable usage, a glossary, and a pronunciation guide.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1984

This edition

Format
256 pages, Paperback
Published
September 14, 2004 by Crown
ISBN
9780767910439
ASIN
0767910435
Language
English

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About the author

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bill bryson

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William McGuire Bryson is an American-British journalist and author. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has been a resident of Britain for most of his adult life, returning to the U.S. between 1995 and 2003, and holds dual American and British citizenship. He served as the chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011.
In 1995, while in the United Kingdom, Bryson authored Notes from a Small Island, an exploration of Britain. In 2003, he authored A Short History of Nearly Everything. In October 2020, he announced that he had retired from writing books. In 2022, he recorded an audiobook for Audible, The Secret History of Christmas. He has sold over 16 million books worldwide.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 111 votes)
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111 reviews All reviews
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shnaide
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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A dictionary of words writers and in particular journalists struggle to use correctly. Most words have an example from a headline or piece of a newspaper article.

Not exactly easy reading, although it wasn't long it's better used for reference or skimming. I found it quite pedantic because language is so fluid and if over 90% of the population uses a word a certain way or with a certain meaning can't we agree that is correct?
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rmqel
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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I borrowed a copy but found that I won't be able to finish it, as it's basically a handbook/dictionary, I should come back more often. So I bought a copy instead. May pick it up from time to time.
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Milisco
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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I taught middle school grammar for six years, and my favorite part of the grammar book (didn't you have a favorite part of the middle school grammar book?) was always the glossary of usage. I saved that part of the curriculum for the end of the year, like a desert that you look forward to throughout a long meal.

"Class, do you know when to use 'fewer' instead of 'less'? No? Oh, goodie."

After the joyful experience I had reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, I wanted to check out more Bryson, and when I saw this title, I knew I was going for it. This book is just what it says it is, a dictionary, and it is arranged as such. So I started with the "a/an" entry and went along all the way through"z" and onto the appendix.

It would take a pedant to write such a book, and Bryson does not disappoint. Some people might find his points to be esoteric and his tone to be that of a humorless martinet. I sure did, and I loved just about every minute of it. Here's what I learned.

1. I make many, many mistakes in my writing. Bryson could look at the four short paragraphs above and find multiple errors in usage. Look! I misspelled "dessert!" The comma after "title" in the third paragraph is suspect. I could have used hyphens to introduce the non-essential phrase ("a dictionary") instead of commas. Bryson's disapproving voice reverberates in my mind every time I write a sentence.

2. It's okay to end your sentence with a preposition. If you are the kind of person who will break his back to avoid ending your sentence with one of these offenders (or, like me, even ending with a prepositional phrase), you need to get over yourself. There's nothing wrong with it, and the rule you are following has been deemed unnecessary for over a hundred years.

3. You should read his rule on when to use "shall" versus "will."
Authorities have been trying to pin down the vagaries and nuances of "shall" and "will" since the seventeenth century... The gist of what they have to say is that either you understand the distinctions instinctively or you do not; that if you don't, you probably never will; and that if you do, you don't need to be told anyway.

4. The show Good Morning America should be called Good Morning, America. Of course it should.
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TheMercifulGuard
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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Probably only interesting to people who are writing nerds as well as Bill Bryson fans. I'm both, so.
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Grey_Anime
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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linguistics babey!!!!





i am aware i am the only person in the world who finds this interesting.
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Scarlet_Rose465
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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Not a book to read straight through, but a good reference book when you have usage, grammar, or spelling questions. Journalists, bloggers, or anyone else who wants to make a living by their writing or communication skills would benefit from this book.
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feuillles
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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It turns out that inputting a period at the end of abbreviated words like Dr., Mr., and St. are all wrong because the custom is that the punctuation is added when the last letter of abbreviation is the last letter of the full word (e.g. Dr for Doctor) but not for all other instances (e.g. Capt. for Captain). In a lengthy segment devoted to comma, which Bryson calls the "the most abused of all punctuation marks", when a second clause in a sentence could stand alone as a sentence it has to be within dashes or parentheses. In If suppositions where the sentiment ranges from being untrue to hypothetical, which are known as subjunctives, the verb should be in the subjunctive: If I were you.... However, if the expression is true or could be true then the mood should be indicative: If I was happy.... The book also explains the use of appropriate verbs in sentences with neither, the many rules surrounding the use of numbers, the importance of where to place only, the confusing distinction between who and whom, and correct usage of numerous other aspects of written English. Avoidance of tautological phrases (e.g., join together, weather conditions, and reason...is because) and phrasal verbs (e.g., sell off and cut down), and the superfluous nature of new is recommended as well. Bryson's style fluctuates between that of a supreme authority on formal written English with sharp sarcastic remarks shot mostly at pieces from The Times newspaper and a progressivist who questions the rigidness of some of the language's grammar. It'll definitely be on my desk instead on a bookshelf. Only if there had been an entry on paragraphs.

4.5/5
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Ungracefultoad
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
March 17,2025
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I might be starting towards lexophilia, but this book is the only dictionary/ thesaurus that I can seriously read. That is sit and read through it one word at a time. The only disadvantage is that it tends to make one nervous in one's own writing and want to check everything with Bryson just in case you have just made another almighty clanger.

It was given to my by a lovely friend and it has proven to be a delight, you can't categorize it well, it isn't really a dictionary and it's not a thesaurus either. It is a 'get out of jail free card' for those of us who would prefer to avoid making stupid mistakes in our writing. More to the point, even if you are feeling bad, Bryson will have an example of a more famous author, journalist or copywriter who has dropped the same clanger and one can at least relax in the knowledge that one is in good company.

If you write anything ,for anyone in the English language then this book should be on your shelf, or better still next to your keyboard.
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