Preface | Using English is puzzling work, but this book assumes that it is less puzzling than it has sometimes been made to seem and that it becomes least puzzling when studied by principles rooted in language habits.

A Note on the Reference System | Modern English Handbook attempts to combine several approaches to composition: positive instruction in rhetoric and logic; a summary of modern attitudes toward grammar and usage; and specific guides for theme correction, not only for common slips in usage but for weaknesses in organization and development.