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Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer's Guide to Getting It Right 22 reviews
Bill Bryson
Broadway, 2004
No problem for Bryson
+ Fun to read, and a good reference
+ Nice read - maybe not the book for those who know some Latin or French
I like language and its ability to allow the communication of complex and profound ideas as well as making it possible the get a coffee from Starbucks. This book, born out of Bryson's need for clarity as a newspaper reporter, is a wonderful read. Although laid out alphabetically like a ...
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Writings from The New Yorker 1927-19766 reviews
E. B. White
Harper Perennial, 2006
read it again--and again
+ Writings from The New Yorker by E. B. White
+ eclectic selection of his writings
I say, and not for the first time or after reading his first book (I've read them all, again and again) that anyone who wants to learn to write contemporary English as it should be written should close himself in a room with EB White for as long as it takes. He or she might even learn to be a ...
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SAT Vocabulary Express: Word Puzzles Designed to Decode the New SAT 6 reviews
Jacqueline Byrne, Michael Ashley
McGraw-Hill, 2004
In need of vocab help
+ SAT Vocab made fun
+ Fun for Students
+ Vocabulary Fun
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Marx and other Four-Letter Words 1 review
Pluto Press, 2005
Bourgeois de-marxification
The book is rather interesting in the sense how it tries to defend Marxism on the surface while making it meaningless at the same time. What I mean here is the fact that it tries to negate Marx's concept of class by saying that classes changes like autumn leaves during each period including the ...
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Shakespeare: The World as Stage (Eminent Lives)72 reviews
Bill Bryson
Eminent Lives, 2007
As much as most people will ever want to know
+ Crafted, concise, and fun to read
+ Something for everyone
+ If there be nothing new *
+ A summary of his life and a defense of his authorship via Bryson
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100 Words To Make You Sound Smart (100 Words) 6 reviews
Houghton Mifflin, 2006
Gateway to Learning HUGE Words
+ Words, words, words
I recently got this book at my elementary school's book fair, and I was sucked into it immediately. I love to learn big words and impress my peers. I also adore writing, and now that I have this book, I can use the vocabulary in my stories. My dream is to be in the Scripp's National Spelling Bee, ...
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The Word Detective: Solving the Mysteries Behind Those Pesky Words and Phrases6 reviews
Evan Morris
Algonquin Books, 2000
A new meaning for "Infotainment"
+ Love this little book
+ Fun and educational!
+ Elementary, my dear readers.
+ The Word Detective is a funny fellow!
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The Elephants of Style : A Trunkload of Tips on the Big Issues and Gray Areas of Contemporary American English 4 reviews
Bill Walsh
McGraw-Hill, 2004
Who left me out of the ýGrammar can now be amusingý loop ?!
+ Grammar with a funny bone
+ Always Useful, Sometimes Funny
+ The next Bill Safire?
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Dictionary of Homonyms (Wordsworth Reference) (Wordsworth Reference)
David Rothwell
Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 2007
Many of us don't know what a homonym is, yet we use them every day. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Homonyms, the first of its type published in Britain, will bring enlightenment. Do you get confused between 'to', 'too' and 'two'? Do you need to know the five definitions of 'fluke'? If so, then this is the book for you. A boon for crossword addicts, a treasure trove for punsters and an endless ...
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Lexical Priming: A new theory of words and language
Michael Hoey
Routledge, 2005
Lexical Priming proposes a radical new theory of the lexicon, which amounts to a completely new theory of language based on how words are used in the real world. Here they are not confined to the definitions given to them in dictionaries but instead interact with other words in common patterns of use. Classical theory holds that grammar is generated first and words are then dropped into the ...
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The Freelance Success Book: Insider Secrets for Selling Every Word You Write (Write It, Sell It)15 reviews
David Taylor
Peak Writing, 2003
Don't Start Without Reading This Book
+ A word of advice...
+ The Freelance Success Book: Insider Secrets For Selling Ever
Thinking about freelancing for a living? Great---I am too. Now pick up this book and read it cover-to-cover. Keep it close by; you'll go back to again and again.
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Words on Words: Quotations about Language and Languages1 review
University Of Chicago Press, 2000
Witty, wonderful and wise words
Everyone seems to have something to say about words. The wise, the not so wise; the educated, the less-educated; writers, poets, politicians. What would it be like to hear them all tell us what they thought about language? In Words on Words the compilers provide us with 5000 quotations from a wide ...
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The Universal Journalist - Second Edition1 review
David Randall
Pluto Press, 2000
Excellent introduction to the world of journalism.
David Randall covers the whole field of journalism, from investigative reporting and features to news editing and management of staff. The examples and the British perspective ensure a good read. His summary of the lifestyle and goals of a reporter illustrates what every journalist should ...
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A Man of My Words: Reflections on the English Language 2 reviews
Richard Lederer
St. Martin's Press, 2003
He's Got a Million of 'Em
"Have you heard about the liberated Irish woman? Her name was Erin Go Braless." "If planes taxi on runways, I wonder, do taxis plane on streets?" If you think jokes like this are funny, you will love A Man of My Words. He's got a million of 'em. Richard Lederer's latest collection of essays about ...
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The Elements of Style (Unabridged)369 reviews
White, William, E. B. Strunk
audible.com
Great Reference
+ :)
+ Strunk and White should be next to your dictionary.
+ The Elements of Style
+ Elements of Style, a text for a lifetime
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Linguistic Minimalism: Origins, Concepts, Methods, and Aims (Oxford Linguistics)1 review
Cedric Boeckx
Oxford University Press, USA, 2006
The easiest intro to Minimalism that you'll find
Unlike some of the other books available on the minimalist program, this one is fairly easy to get through. The language isn't that complex and a beginning linguistics student should have little problem following along. Of course, knowledge of Government and Binding theory is helpful, but not a ...
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Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Words8 reviews
John Man
Wiley, 2002
As real as today
+ Printing and Culture of the day
+ GutenGood
+ Loved it until the end
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Dictionary of Word Origins 1 review
Linda Flavell, Roger Flavell
Kyle Cathie, 2004
Disappointing
I received this book as a gift from a friend who noticed my general interest in the origins of words and phrases. And indeed, I was happy when I first saw the title because I do find this subject to be interesting. However upon reading the book I was disappointed. I can't really put my hand on the ...
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Carnal Knowledge: A Navel Gazer's Dictionary of Anatomy, Etymology, and Trivia2 reviews
Charles Hodgson
St. Martin's Griffin, 2007
Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover
+ book readings of Carnal Knowledge
Great fun and interesting information BUT the pictures on the cover (implying it's just a mundane sexual romp) stop me from giving it to my Grandkids and others who would love the content.
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American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds24 reviews
James Maguire
Rodale Books, 2006
Delightful and engrossing
+ An actual speller's point of view
+ Inspiring
+ Spelling and Parenting
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