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1、Theprefaceto'TheCompletePlainWords'bySirErnestGowersPage1of1PrefaceThisbookisinthemainareconstructionofmytwopreviousbooks,PlainWordsandABCofPlainWords.Boththese,asIexplainedintheprefacestothem,werewrittenattheinvitationoftheTreasuryasacontributiontowhattheywere
2、doingtoimproveofficialEnglish.Thefirstwasbywayofanintroductiontothesubject;thesecondwasdesignedasaworkofreference.WhenmypublisherstoldmelastyearthatthetimewasripeforaneweditionofPlainWords,Ithoughtitwouldbewelltoroundofftheventurebyweavingintotheneweditionmater
3、ialfromtheABC.IcouldthensayallIhadtosayinonevolume,and,bygivingittheindexwhichtheoriginaleditionlacked,couldmakeitserveasabookofreference,andsodoawaywiththeneedforaseparatebookwiththelayout,inevitablyunattractive,ofaseriesofunrelatedtopicsarrangedalphabetically
4、.Iamnotagrammarian,andTheCompletePlainWords,likeitspredecessors,makesnoclaimtobeagrammaroftheEnglishLanguage,thoughforreasonsIhaveexplainedinthetextIfeltboundreluctantlyanddiffidently,togiveonechaptertosomepointsofgrammarandonetopunctuation.Apartfromthesetwocha
5、pters,thisbookiswhollyconcernedwithwhatisdescribedinoneofthequotationsthatheadthefirstchapterasthechoiceandarrangementofwordsinsuchawayastogetanideaasexactlyaspossibleoutofonemindintoanother.EvensoImustnotbecreditedwithtoohighanambition:thescopeofthebookiscircu
6、mscribedbyitsbeingintendedprimarilyforthosewhousewordsastoolsoftheirtrade,inadministrationorbusiness.IhavemadefulluseofthisopportunitytorevisewhatIwrotebeforebyalteration,byomission,andespeciallybytheadditionofnewmatter.IndoingsoIhaveprofitedfromreadingbooksonk
7、indredsubjectssincepublished,andItendermygratefulacknowledgmenttotheirauthors.Theyareamongthebookslistedinthebibliographyonpage200.ButaboveallIamindebtedtothemanycorrespondentsfromallpartsoftheEnglish-speakingworldwhohavebeengoodenoughtorespondtomyinvitationtos
8、endmesuggestions,criticismsandspecimens.Ihavethankedthemallindividuallybyletter,andIshouldhavelikedtoprintalistoftheirnameshereasaperpetualtokenofmygratitudefortheirkindness