style guides and dictionaries

Style Guides and Dictionaries

Neither is a dictionary a bad book to read. There is no cant in it, no excess of explanation,
and it is full of suggestion — the raw material of possible poems and histories. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

~George Bernard Shaw

British and American English

Differences in Spelling, Grammar and Style

Countries using British spelling and grammar spell many words differently than do users of American English; their punctuation rules often differ as well.

When writing American English, don’t use any British spellings, punctuation, or grammar; and vice versa if writing British English.

► Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary labels as British those British words it includes.

Several good style books explain differences in British and American spellings; for instance, Amy Einsohn’s Copyeditor's Handbook from University of California Press.

► For correct British spellings, consult the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). However, don't use this for American-English spellings.