Misadventures in the English Language

by Caroline Taggart

Misadventures in the English Language looks at some of the controversial aspects of English usage – grammar, vocabulary and punctuation – and tries to assess what matters and what doesn’t. Looking at why it pays to be precise in your punctuation – the hackneyed examples of ‘Let’s eat Grandma’ and ‘Eats, Shoots and Leaves’ show how a comma can make all the difference – why tautologies are simply annoying; how corporate speak can actually mean nothing at all; and why naughty, awful, sophisticated and virtue are all words that have evolved to mean something completely different, this book covers all the aspects of the English language that could leave you with cause for concern.It also considers where we are now, appraising (and often praising) the invention of new words – from kidult to piscetarian – including internet-led abbreviations such as JK and IMHO. By turns an explanation of the rules, a rant against gobbledygook and other modern horrors, this book will aid you in avoiding embarrassing clichés and jargon, and help you put your words in the right places, finally enabling you to revel in the richness of the English language.Reviews for New Words for diverting' Guardian'Fascinating ... perfect for anyone obsessed by wordplay' Yours magazine

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Linguistics, Writing

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2016

About the author

I was an editor for 30 years before Michael O’Mara Books asked me to write what became I Used to Know That. I think its success took everyone by surprise – it certainly did me – but it led to my writing a lot of other books and finally, after about three years, feeling able to tell people I was an author. It's a nice feeling.

Until recently the book I was most proud of was The Book of London Place Names (Ebury), partly because I am passionate about London and partly because, having written ten or so books before that, I finally felt I was getting the hang of it.

Now I have to confess I’m really excited by my first venture into continuous narrative. For A Slice of Britain: around the country by cake (AA) I travelled the country investigating, writing about and eating cake. From Cornish Saffron Cake to Aberdeen Butteries, I interviewed about 25 people who are baking cakes, biscuits and buns that are unique to their region, part of their heritage – and pretty darned delicious. The Sunday Times reviewed it and described me as ‘engaging, greedy and droll’, which pleased me enormously.

Reviews

[Lucy Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasional snippets of genuine interest - a lot of stuff that was quite basic.

This was an enjoyable book to read - there were a few really interesting moments (like the origin of the word 'freelance' - who knew?!), but quite a lot of it was fairly basic stuff.

However, for someone learning the ins and outs of the English language (and punctuation etc.) this may well be a handy little guide. It's certainly very accessible!

Only one small thing - felt rather sorry for the person who'd given the author a 5-star review in the past, who was hauled over the coals in this book for using too many exclamation marks (little bit mean to pick one someone who'd left a lovely, kind review of one of her previous books?). But perhaps she'd checked with the person in question, who didn't mind.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most people would probably be too shamefaced to admit that at least 75% of the grammatical errors / malapropisms/ anomalies in this book apply to them (whilst I'm not ashamed I certainly "had my eyes opened" - see what I did there? - to a great number of grammatical knowhow).

If anything, this book just proves how utterly abysmal English attainment is in the UK and beyond, both academically and in common parlance.

Overall this was pretty easy to dip in and out of, and for that reason I'd recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13 (the arbitrary, numeric signifier derived from the 365 day cycle of "ageing", not an actual reading age or anything).

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! No matter how simple or ill-analysed my query, I've always found an answer. And always given lucidly, with clear and telling examples. Haven't 'finished' of course - ir's an ever-present reference - but certainly qualifies for having been read.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun look at how English is used and mis-used (or should that be misused?). A gentle way to learn proper grammar.

[Simon Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I liked it!!