Changing usage in modern English as reflected in R.W. Burchfield's revised 3rd edition of H. W. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage

The aim of this study is to examine changing usage in Modern English as reflected in R.W. Burchfield's revised 3rd edition of H.W. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage. The study first provides an historical overview of attitudes toward English usage and examines its treatment in contemporary usage books. The third edition of A Dictionary of Modern English Usage is then compared with earlier editions to show what areas of language usage are represented in each edition and to detect any changes in representation. The subsequent analysis is based on comparison of entries from the revised 3rd edition with entries from earlier editions. Changes in usage are demonstrated on three general entries that deal with general areas of grammar, namely complex prepositions, split infinitive and fused participle, and on twenty individual entries that reflect changes in the surface structure, specifically changes in prepositions in the construction of the type "noun/verb/adjective + preposition" and changes in the realization of verb complementation. The aim of the study is to determine areas of changing usage and consider tendencies with respect to the language system