the kings/queens english) and someone butchers the language and is reprimanded, is the phrase known as, "the Kings english" or is it "the Queens english" that one is referring to?!
2007-03-10 10:29:38 · 5 answers · asked by leslie b 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
I remember Queen Elizabeth coming to the throne in 1952, and the newspapers and magazines having a great time listing all the British things whose name would automatically get changed. There were dozens of them, and this was one.
About the particular book on English called "The King's English", if it had been re-published after 1952 it would have certainly been re-titled "The Queen's English".
2007-03-11 05:08:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
King's English
The King's English is a book on English usage and grammar. It was written by the Fowler brothers, Henry Watson Fowler and Francis George Fowler, and published in 1906, and thus pre-dates by 20 years Modern English Usage, which was written by Henry alone after Francis's death in 1918.
The King's English is less like a dictionary than Modern English Usage; it consists of longer articles on more general topics such as vocabulary, syntax and punctuation, and draws heavily on examples from many sources throughout. Because it has never been updated since the third edition in 1930, it is rather dated, and some of the Fowlers' views are idiosyncratic; however, it still remains useful and has remained in print since its first publication.
2007-03-10 18:37:21 · answer #2 · answered by violetb 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the King's English
2007-03-10 18:32:59 · answer #3 · answered by diannegoodwin@sbcglobal.net 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say “the Queen’s English” because the current British monarch is Queen Elizabeth. Historically, the underlying presumption was that the current monarch’s language usage would set the standard as the model usage. As an American, of course, I don’t follow British rules of English language usage in spelling, pronunciation, certain vocabulary, etc.
2007-03-10 18:48:52 · answer #4 · answered by tribeca_belle 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It depends on whether the reigning monarch is a King Or Queen.
It's exactly the same with Royal Navy ship names.
In the case of a King, HMS means His Majesty's Ship, when there is a Queen on the throne it's, Her Majesty's Ship.
2007-03-10 18:57:28 · answer #5 · answered by Hamish 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋