Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style book cover

Dreyer's English Summary

An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style

Benjamin Dreyer

Dreyer's English Summary Overview

Dreyer's English transforms grammar from tedious to thrilling. This New York Times bestseller - endorsed by George Saunders, Elizabeth Strout, and even Sting - makes language rules genuinely entertaining. Why has this style guide become the rare grammar book people actually read cover-to-cover?

Key Themes in the Dreyer's English Summary

  • copy editing standards
  • punctuation mechanics
  • stylistic clarity
  • grammatical myths
  • prose refinement

Best Quotes from the Dreyer's English Summary

  • If you have the choice between omitting an unnecessary word and adding an unnecessary word, please omit the unnecessary word.

  • You can begin a sentence with 'But'. And you can end one with a preposition.

  • Nobody wants to read writing that sounds as if it was generated by a computer.

  • DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO USE AN APOSTROPHE TO PLURALIZE A WORD.

Characters in the Dreyer's English Summary

  • Benjamin DreyerAuthor and Random House copy chief
  • Shirley JacksonAuthor noted for her masterful use of semicolons
  • Lewis ThomasWriter quoted on the elegance of semicolons

About the Author

About the Author of Dreyer's English

Benjamin Dreyer is the bestselling author of Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style and a renowned authority on grammar, editing, and clear prose. Born in 1958 and raised in New York, Dreyer spent three decades as vice president, executive managing editor, and copy chief at Random House, where he oversaw hundreds of titles annually and copyedited works by literary luminaries including Elizabeth Strout, E.L. Doctorow, and Frank Rich. His expertise in language and style made him a cult figure among writers and editors, with The Washington Post dubbing him "the unofficial language guru on Twitter."

Dreyer's English debuted at number nine on The New York Times bestseller list and was named one of the year's best books by O: The Oprah Magazine.

The book began as an internal Random House memo that expanded into a comprehensive guide praised for making prose pleasurable. Dreyer shares ongoing insights through his newsletter, which reaches over 20,000 subscribers. He retired from Random House in 2023 and now lives in Santa Monica, California.

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