Francis George Fowler

British lexicographer

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June 26, 2026

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Francis George Fowler was an English lexicographer and philologist who, along with his brother H.W. Fowler, significantly influenced the study and style of the English language. The brothers collaborated on several influential works, including a translation of The Works of Lucian of Samosata (1905), The King's English (1906), and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1911). Their most significant joint project was A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), an alphabetical guide to English grammar, syntax, style, pronunciation, and punctuation that became a classic. Francis George Fowler died in 1918 during World War I.1

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H.W. Fowler
…collaboration with his younger brother Francis George Fowler.
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…collaboration with his younger brother Francis George Fowler.
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punctuation
Punctuation in English since 1600
…lexicographers Henry Watson Fowler and Francis George Fowler, in The King’s English, published in 1906, who established the current British practice of light punctuation. Punctuation in the United States has followed much the same path as in Britain, but the rules laid down by American authorities have in general been…
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…lexicographers Henry Watson Fowler and Francis George Fowler, in The King’s English, published in 1906, who established the current British practice of light punctuation. Punctuation in the United States has followed much the same path as in Britain, but the rules laid down by American authorities have in general been…
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