Using almost forty standard works on the subject as his guide, Bryson aimed to produce a list of difficult English words that is generally readable and informative while also usable as a
reference work. Like all other major usage advice books, it reflects the language epistemology of professional editors, which is not completely coincident with that of
linguistic scientists. It makes use of both
linguistic prescription and
linguistic description, attempting to avoid the pathological extremes of prescription (valueless
pedantry such as
hypercorrection) while also making use of its helpful side (which encourages
critical thinking). As the author states, "This book might more accurately, if less convincingly, have been called ''A Guide to Everything in English Usage That the Author Wasn't Entirely Clear About Until Quite Recently.''" Bryson describes the
English language as a valuable entity, with no two experts agreeing on any point of usage, claiming that those guides that do exist for the common user often expect the reader to be familiar with
grammatical terms not encountered since (or even at) high school. ==References==