American English Official Grammar Reference Book?

[Cathy Popkin]

My vote goes to the Bedford Handbook for Writers.
CP

--On Saturday, December 08, 2007 6:57 PM -0500 "Paul B. Gallagher" 
<paulbg at PBG-TRANSLATIONS.COM> wrote:

> Andrey Shcherbenok wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> A friend of mine, who is a director of a translation firm in St.
>> Petersburg, is looking for an official grammar reference book of
>> American English. The reference book should be a) comprehensive (as far
>> as grammar is concerned) b) AS OFFICIAL AS POSSIBLE (words like
>> "government" in the title, etc.)
>
> No such thing. This is not France, there is no Académie Américaine.
>
> The most widely accepted grammar references are the "Chicago Manual of
> Style" <http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/> and Strunk & White's "The
> Elements of Style" <http://www.bartleby.com/141/>, usually cited by the
> authors' names. Of these, the former is more contemporary and the latter
> is more antiquated (I would say obsolescent). Neither is comprehensive,
> and neither is official, but this is as close as you will get for our
> language.
>
> For a particular publication, of course, refer to that publication's own
> style guidelines.
>
>> It can be in any format, but on-line accessible is, of course,
>> preferable.
>>
>> If you have something in mind, please, reply off-list.
>
> Copying my reply to your personal address.
>
> --
> War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
> --
> Paul B. Gallagher
> pbg translations, inc.
> "Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
> http://pbg-translations.com
>
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