Subjects:  1. English Composition    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. Reference    5. Report writing    6. Rhetoric    7. Style    8. Writing Skills    9. Reference / Writing Skills   

Reviews (5)

Useful Reference
This book is a very helpful reference.If someone has writer's block, this book will get them moving forward again.It contains many frequently used (and some less frequently used) words and, unlike thesauruses, gives information about words/synonyms so that the most appropriate one can be discovered.The index in the back of the book helps to find the page the word is on.I have quite a few thesaurus-like books and this one I use most often.

It's a Diction-thesaurus-ary!(And more.)
Look up a word. You will find a list of synonymns. You'll find a definition and correct useage guide for each of the synonyms. And, if the word has antonyms, you'll find those as well. This book is a must for students and writers.

great book for choosing between synonyms
No two words are perfect synonyms.They come from different origins; they evoke different emotional images.Professor/SenatorHayakawa provides excellent guidance on how to choose between similar words. I read an earlier version of this book with a different title. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - Synonyms/Antonyms    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. Reference    5. Synonyms and antonyms    6. Word Lists    7. American English    8. Reference / Dictionaries    9. Thesauri    10. Usage guides   

Editorial Review

"When it comes to pronunciation," says Charles Harrington Elster, "there are two types of people: Those who don't give the subject a second thought and those who do. This book is for those who do." Those who don't will likely dismiss it as a conglomeration of minutiae (mi-N[Y]oo-shee-ee). Elster's Read more

Reviews (20)

Can you pronounce pronunciation?
It's not pro-NOUN-see-AY-shin. It's pruh-NUHN-see-AY-shin. Open this book at random and learn something. Deluge is "DEL-yooj (like dell plus huge without the h)." Demur is di-MUR, not di-MYOOR. "Pronounce mur as in murder, not as in mural." Once it's in your reference library you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

Definitely worth reading
I realize language changes over time, and eventually new ways of pronouncing words are adopted. However, there are still a lot of words that seem to confuse people. I have even seen people argue over it.
Incredible!
The name of this book is what caught my eye, but, as soon as I opened it, I realized how great it is.I learned of quite a few mistakes I make, and often WHY.The author's somewhat ranting tone makes an otherwise dense and boring subject a bit more approachable.I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. Dictionaries - Synonyms/Antonyms    4. English Language (Specific Aspects)    5. English language    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Phonetics & Phonics    9. Phonology And Phonetics    10. Pronunciation    11. Reference    12. Reference / Dictionaries   

Subjects:  1. Capitalization    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. Grammar    5. Linguistics    6. Orthography and spelling    7. Punctuation    8. Study Aids    9. Study Guides    10. English    11. Grammar & vocabulary    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Grammar    13. Study guides, home study & revision notes   

Reviews (9)

A real head-scratcher...
And it's not even a mystery novel!But if you've ever lived in Japan or even visited, this book is like an inside joke for anyone who loves Japan and their twisted take on the English language.Having lived there for a year and being a regular visitor since, seeing the pictures of shirts, bags or products with "engrish" really brings back memories.In fact, I've seen a few of the things photographed in the book, and I even owned one or two!
Neat, but maybe the website is better.
I went "WHAT" when i opened the package to see a tiny little book.As I paged through I recognized some pictures I had seen on Engrish.com as well as some new ones.The more edgier pictures seemed to be on the website, while the ones in the book seemed mostly tame.The book will give you a chuckle but is over before you know it as it's a small book.

From Engrish.Com...
Well, kind of.Not all the photos in the book can be found on the website and the website has some photos which can get very mature.But the book is fun, something to give as a gift or to have among one's humor books.
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Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. English language    3. Errors of usage    4. General    5. Humor    6. Japan    7. Pictorial works    8. Satire And Humor    9. Humor / Parodies   

Reviews (6)

Thorough explanation in a fascinating, entertaining approach
The title does more justice than the subtitle. Such a pleasure to read, poet Corn?s guide to understanding the ?beat? of poetry never leaves the reader in ?manual? tedium. Instead he entertains with the lively varieties that ?feet? can dance in different poetic styles. really good manual of prosody
I've read a few of these 'manuals on prosody' and I found Corn's to be one of the better ones. He writes in an easy to understand style that would help any beginner. He covers everything pretty well. I still prefer Fussell's Poetic Meter & Poetic Form and Tim Steele's All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing (though Corn's is written in an easier style, Fussell and Steele are more comprehensive), but I'd recommend this to those who want to learn how to write in meter and form.

A Friendly Lecture on a Forbidding Topic
This (sub)titles itself "A Manual of Prosody", as it indeed is. Actually, it is a manual of the dominant prosody of the English-speaking world since 1500 or so, the accentual-syllabic sort. Other possible prosodic disciplines, such as accentual, durational, and syllabic, are mentioned and briefly exampled, but finally are dismissed as antique or foreign. Which they are: there is little point, in a book that is not a treatise, in taking up such matters.Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Poetry    3. English Language (Specific Aspects)    4. English language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Poetics    8. Poetry    9. Prose    10. Rhythm    11. Versification    12. Reference / Writing Skills   

Reviews (3)

Thoughts from a Law Professor
I teach legal writing and research at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.Proofreading is one of the important skills that a lawyer needs to master.It is difficult to teach proofreading, however, particularly when we are also teaching large-scale format of legal memoranda and other documents, fundamental legal research skills, and effective communication of legal analysis. Not for professionals
This book is fine, probably even very good, for those who wish to proof their own day-to-day business correspondence.However, the treatment of proofing symbols is limited, and the sample markings deviate somewhat fromaccepted professional practice.More of a first intro to some of the verybasic things to look for when proofreading.No discussion of thebookmaking process or what editors expect of a professional proofreader.

Excellent concise guide to proofreading.
A well-organized and concise reference for those who need to proofread written material.Excellent reminders for those who are experienced in proofreading, pointing out the pitfalls of proofreading one's own work (and even recommending graceful ways to proofread friends' and coworkers' materials).Good review of the basics of editing, appropriate use of proofreader's marks, and many excellent recommendation and reminders about the objectives and goals of proofreading.Should be part of your professional library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business English    2. Business writing    3. Editing & Proofreading    4. English Language (Specific Aspects)    5. English language    6. General    7. Language    8. Language Arts & Disciplines    9. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    10. Proofreading    11. United States    12. Education / Vocational Guidance    13. English    14. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (2)

Wajnryb should have her word processor washed out with soap.
But this book is one f***ing good read!

Swearing Seriously Studied, but Fun, Too.
There can be no more gleefully erroneous title for a book than _Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language_ (The Free Press) by Ruth Wajnryb.In Wajnryb's book, the expletives are decidedly not deleted, although in this review, proper fellow that I am, I will try to avoid the worst ones.Thus every member of George Carlin's infamous list of the seven major words you can't say on television is here, along with lots of others, plus some guest appearances by swear words of other languages.There is plenty of sexual language, of course, but there is little titillating here.Though Wajnryb is a witty writer and puts in many good jokes of her own and others, this is essentially a serious study.Wajnryb, after all, is not a stand up comic like Carlin, but a linguist who sometimes has to explain, with as little apology as possible, that bad words are a proper subject of academic linguistic study.For instance, she writes that it might be mysterious that anyone would want "... to get into the grammatical knickers of cross-cultural swearing is anyone's bet, but linguists do things like that."She delves into details of that particular aspect of bad language, and many others, and entertains throughout.
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Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Linguistics    7. Obscene words    8. Reference    9. Slang    10. Swearing    11. Taboo, Linguistic    12. Reference / General   

Reviews (1)

fantastic
This thesaurus was everything that I expected and more....everyone at my son's school wanted to know where we got it including the teacher.I of course told them that I got it from amazon.com and that it was the only choice for us. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. Reference    3. Thesauri    4. Reference / Thesauri   

Reviews (1)

great introduction to stylistics
I read this book during the summer before beginning a Master's in stylistics.At the time I knew very little about stylistics (only that it's main focus was on linguistic analysis of literature), methods of stlyistic analysis, or recent research in stylistics.This book was a life-saver!
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Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. English language    3. Language    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Rhetoric    6. Style    7. Versification    8. Ancient (Classical) Greek    9. Literary theory   

Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. English language    3. General    4. International    5. Language    6. Law    7. Law (General)    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Terminology    10. Usage    11. Business & Economics / Economics / General    12. English    13. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)    14. Legal skills & practice   

Reviews (3)

Excellent book on a topic that's usually swept under the rug
This is an excellent history of the rich lexicon of the true English language. Shows how various traditions such as verbal baiting (flyting),'blasphemies', and 'profanities' developed in in the tapestry of English ... and interesting in that it describes only a few hundred years ago or less the "four letter words" were just everyday language whereas blasphemy was regarded as beyond the pale. Interesting topsy-turvy compared to today's use! Written for academics
If you are looking for a studious history of foul language, this bookmight be for you.Everything in author Hughes' book is well documented andfootnoted.In my research for my own book, CUSS CONTROL (Three RiversPress, April 2000), I purchased the 1993 edition of this book. It containedsome valuable information, but I found it difficult to read.The authorwas, and perhaps still is, a professor in South Africa, and his writingstyle is intellectual and formal. His intention and his audience aredifferent from mine, so a comparison is not really fair.However, unlessyou are looking for a comprehensive and esoteric study of the use ofprofanity through the ages, I suggest you page through the book beforemaking a purchase.

it was great
When i read the book i couldn't put the book down, it was so good i recomend it to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. Language    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Linguistics    6. English    7. French    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics    9. Slang & jargon   

Reviews (2)

Great lingui-porn -- not your father's dictionary!
This nifty little volume is proof that the English language is not only alive, it's kicking butt and taking names. Language junkies are familiar with the author's several dozen books and probably his website and maillist, too (for which he slips in a couple of plugs, but that's okay). What he's interesting in here is the invention (or the organic rise, perhaps) of new words by all parts of society, from teen slang that mostly lasts two weeks to techie terms that have rooted themselves firmly in the wider culture, like "dot-com" or the verb "to google." He avoids stunt words (deliberate cleverness by some writer) and nonce words (which appear only once and die immediately). None of his examples existed before c.1980, and all have established a track record by appearing in a variety of public media. (He's aware of Sniglets, incidently, but points out that not one of those introduced by Rich Hall has actually entered the language.) Some new words are so obvious and so apt once you've heard them, you can't believe no one ever thought of them before. (He describes S. J. Perelman's delight when a mechanic told him his car had been "totaled.") The chapters are organized by source or context -- modern angst, modern politics and war, activism of all flavors, political correctness (itself an apt and sneering recent invention), advertising, the Internet revolution, pop psychology, baby-boom-ism, privacy and security (not to forget 9/11, now an overused shorthand), and even "Dilbert." He gives examples of usage from the media, too, some of which are a hoot. Still, there are gaps in the language for which no word has yet appeared, like a reasonable term for each other by adults who regularly go on dates ("Boyfriend" and "girlfriend" are a bit silly when you're over forty). This book is a great time-sink (that's in here, too), both fun and informative.

Modern Times: McJobs, dot-bombs and cell yell
After nine years ofhosting one of the most popular websites on neologisms - words which have entered our vocabularies, but not yet our dictionaries -- Paul McFedries has written a tourist's guide to modern society using new words as signposts. Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization, Modern    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. General    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. New words    8. Reference    9. Terminology    10. Terms and phrases    11. Word Lists    12. Reference / Word Lists   

Reviews (1)

Oxford Dictionary of Idioms
I thought it would be larger, with more entries.
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Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Dictionaries - General    3. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    4. Dictionaries - Synonyms/Antonyms    5. English Language (Specific Aspects)    6. English language    7. Idioms    8. Language    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Reference    11. English    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Reference    13. Reference | English Usage Guides    14. Usage guides   

Reviews (4)

Author's Comment
This dictionary is primarily for student pilots who do not have English as a first language. The headwords and context sentences are taken from a 250,000 word corpus of flying training texts. The book is designed to fill the gap between a general English dictionary for students of English and an aeronautical dictionary for native English speakers.

A wast of paper!
Incredibly incomplete! Numerous basic aeronautical terms are missing yet there's plenty of room for everyday, common words, that don't need to be in this book are included.Buy "Dictionary of Aeronautical Term" by Dale Crane. It's cheeper and far superior.

A wast of paper!
Incredibly incomplete! Numerous basic aeronautical terms are missing yet there's plenty of room for everyday, common words, that don't need to be in this book are included.Buy "Dictionary of Aeronautical Term" by Dale Crane. It's cheeper and far superior. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautical Engineering (Specific Aspects)    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Aviation - General    4. Dictionaries - General    5. English Language (Specific Aspects)    6. Reference    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Reference / General   

Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. English as a Second Language    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Grammar    6. Language    7. Prepositions    8. Problems, exercises, etc    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers   

Reviews (2)

Elixir of Wit
To read any of Karen Elizabeth Gordon's books is to be happily drunk on words.By turns informative, giddy, erotic, hilarious, mysterious and wondrous, it is almost incidental that this and her other books are also penultimate authoritative sources on English language grammar, usage and meaning.Read "Out of the Loud Hound of Darkness" and any of her other books that you can get your hands on!

Great
A fantastic book from a fine author.The book has great matter in it and provides deep and good insight into it.A fine and a very impressive bookis the overall creditto the author. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Language (Specific Aspects)    2. English language    3. General    4. Grammar    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Reference    9. Usage    10. Vocabulary    11. Word Lists    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Grammar   

Reviews (11)

An embarrassment of riches ..
Every member of 'a browse of readers' should have access to this book.
An Exaltation of Larks
This is a wonderful book, so humorous and the illustrations are really well drawn.Two of my friends have already ordered this book after reading mine.This is a great coffee table book, everyone loves to look through it.

You can learn so much
mr. Liton was my acting coach when I lived in New York.I was studying to be a methodist actor.That's when you become the character.If your character doesnt' get any sleep, then you dont sleep.It's a difficult technique to master, but it makes your acting so much better.You should buy this if youre interested in being a better actor, or trying to become a methodist actor, which is difficult, trust me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. General    5. Humor    6. Reference    7. Terms and phrases    8. Vocabulary    9. Humor / General   

Editorial Review

There's something special about a lexicon in which more than half the entries begin with the same letter. Read more

Reviews (19)

F'in fabulous reference for the lexicon geek
Thanks to ADHD, I have a hard time focusing for any length of time on the written word, but I love reference books and I love the English language. I have numerous lexicons from American Slang, to quotations, scientific dictionaries, etc. This one is not for the kids, butit has come in helpful a number of times. An alternative dictionary and word history
I seriously believe there's no such thing as an "obscene" word; it's usage that gives a word any perceived obscenity.That said, "The F Word" is an interesting little book that doesn't mince...um...words. The smart and irreverent introduction provides you with the etymology of the f word; Roy Blount's foreword is another nice touch. F***ing brilliant.
This book contains probably more than anyone could possibly want to know (but at least have at one point contemplated during drunken conversations with friends) about a word that, judging by some of the horrified reviews I've read before posting my own, still has the power to shock and/or offend.Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. Etymology    5. Fuck (The English word)    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Linguistics    8. Obscene words    9. Reference    10. Satire And Humor    11. Semantics    12. Reference / Dictionaries   

Reviews (1)

still excellent
Kachru's book is an excellent analysis of non-native varieties of English and the opportunities as well as the dangers of global English. In contrast to Phillipson's more recent book (1992) Kachru is critical but not overlyinfluenced by ideology. This book is another must for those interested ininternational English; however, as it is a bit dated (it was published in1986!) a revised edition would be more than welcome. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Communication, International    2. English Language (Specific Aspects)    3. English language    4. Foreign countries    5. General    6. Intercultural communication    7. Language    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Variation    10. English    11. Language & Linguistics