Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus - An online thesaurus and dictionary o. Is Now and Ever Shall Be : Language Lounge : Thinkmap Visual The. Oxford University Press has reprinted the first edition of a great classic — H. W. Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage — and we've been enjoying the book in the Lounge. It reproduces the text of the original, along with a new introduction and 25 pages of notes that refer to about 300 entries in the first edition, reflecting ways in which the language has changed since the 1920s, when Fowler's work first appeared. The notes are written by David Crystal, whose credentials as a contemporary authority on English are unassailable. There is never a reason not to consult Fowler about usage: whether you find what you were looking for or not, you'll walk away from his text amused and edified in a way that you weren't when you went to it.
We found an occasion to consult him the other day when we noted this sign that's just appeared, down the road a bit from the Lounge: Shall be permitted? Fowler has a lengthy entry at shall that treats shall & will, should & would. Prayers and hymns: Glossary - General (P-T) Glossary - General (F-J) Glossary - General (U-Z) Glossary - General (K-O) Glossary - General (A-E) World Wide Words.