One of the English language's most skilled and beloved writers
guides us all toward precise, mistake-free usage.
As usual Bill Bryson says it best: "English is a dazzlingly
idiosyncratic tongue, full of quirks and irregularities that often
seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense. This is a
language where 'cleave' can mean to cut in half or to hold two
halves together; where the simple word 'set' has 126 different
meanings as a verb, 58 as a noun, and 10 as a participial
adjective; where if you can run fast you are moving swiftly, but if
you are stuck fast you are not moving at all; and] where 'colonel,
' 'freight, ' 'once, ' and 'ache' are strikingly at odds with their
spellings." As a copy editor for the London" Times" in the early
1980s, Bill Bryson felt keenly the lack of an easy-to-consult,
authoritative guide to avoiding the traps and snares in English,
and so he brashly suggested to a publisher that he should write
one. Surprisingly, the proposition was accepted, and for "a sum of
money carefully gauged not to cause embarrassment or feelings of
overworth," he proceeded to write that book-his first, inaugurating
his stellar career.
Now, a decade and a half later, revised, updated, and thoroughly
(but not overly) Americanized, it has become "Bryson's Dictionary
of Troublesome Words," more than ever an essential guide to the
wonderfully disordered thing that is the English language. With
some one thousand entries, from "a, an" to "zoom," that feature
real-world examples of questionable usage from an international
array of publications, and with a helpful glossary and guide to
pronunciation, this precise, prescriptive, and-because it is
written by Bill Bryson-often witty book belongs on the desk of
every person who cares enough about the language not to maul or
misuse or distort it.
"From the Hardcover edition."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(2)
