Paradigms Lost
by John Simon · first published 1988
4mentions
1recommended by
2HN commenters
2013–2024first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Paradigms Lost by John Simon. He is often too pedantic, but I find his extreme focus on writing and speaking English properly to be refreshing in a world of laxity. Reading his book definitely improved my writing skills.
on “Ask HN: Suggest Some Books to Read” ↗Just a few examples: - Paradigms Lost by John Simon. A lot of these older cultural/writing commentary books don't seem to be digitized, but are absolutely worth reading - Some older tourism books. For example, I have a little pamphlet book…
on “No one buys books” ↗It’s mostly because of laziness and a hostility toward the idea of “correctness” in language use, and it goes back many, many decades. See John Simon’s book Paradigms Lost (from 1981!) for a brutally amusing take on these common errors. When it becomes socially unacceptable to insist on standards and correctness, people either don’t learn how to write properly - or they…
on “The Antisocial Network: How the 90s Internet Died Like Diaryland (2014)” ↗…newspaper such as the Crimson, it is unacceptable. Somewhere, John Simon is muttering under his breath.[2] [1] http://www.amazon.com/Garners-Modern-American-Usage-Garner/d... [2] http://www.amazon.com/Paradigms-Lost-Reflections-John-Simon/...
on “The Fall of Academics at Harvard” ↗