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Grammar Geek
Language lovers, rejoice! These wonderful little books revel in the beauty, nuance, and eccentricity of the English language. Word Nerd offers a delightful smorgasbord of etymological facts and fancies, including ten phrases "invented" by William Shakespeare; words for things you didn't know there were words for (the "lunula" is "the crescent-shaped, whitish area at the base of your fingernail"); and the choice cocktail-party conversation starter that, before it was a tragic nursery rhyme figure, "Humpty Dumpty" was a drink made of ale and brandy. If the nuts and bolts of punctuation and split infinitives make your heart go pitter-patter, you'll love Grammar Geek, a fascinating foray into the tricky rules of English grammar that includes "ten reasons to use an apostrophe," an explanation of the distinction between "e.g." and "i.e.," and a definition of the conversational convention "whimperative." Dive in!
- GenresNonfictionReference
96 pages, hardcover
Published October 3, 2019
6 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Michael Powell
234 books24 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 18, 2024
Funny and informative
June 7, 2025
Paraprosdokian from the Greek para meaning ‘contrary to’ and prosdokia meaning‘expectation’, occurs when a surprising twist ending forces the reader or listener to reinterpret the first part of a sentence or passage of writing.
It’s a comic technique and sometimes known as ‘pull back and reveal’.
Often I have been told I am wrong but so far it has never happened.
Use initial capital letters for personal titles linked to a name e.g. Tsar Nicholas II but lowercase when more general: ‘He reported to the tsar’.
e.g. example gratia (for example) - to exemplify.
i.e. id est (that is) - to clarify.
The whimperative. Disguising an order as a question to turn it into a polite request. ‘Please may you pass the salt?’ Or the awful phrase commonly used by the millennial generation: ‘Can I get?’
Sentence fragments are best reserved for poetry or narrative fiction. They rely on the previous sentence for meaning.
Difference between learnt and learned. Used learnt.
It’s a comic technique and sometimes known as ‘pull back and reveal’.
Often I have been told I am wrong but so far it has never happened.
Use initial capital letters for personal titles linked to a name e.g. Tsar Nicholas II but lowercase when more general: ‘He reported to the tsar’.
e.g. example gratia (for example) - to exemplify.
i.e. id est (that is) - to clarify.
The whimperative. Disguising an order as a question to turn it into a polite request. ‘Please may you pass the salt?’ Or the awful phrase commonly used by the millennial generation: ‘Can I get?’
Sentence fragments are best reserved for poetry or narrative fiction. They rely on the previous sentence for meaning.
Difference between learnt and learned. Used learnt.
February 12, 2021
excellent help, great examples and clever text design.
August 12, 2021
Cute, quick, informative grammar resource.
January 23, 2022
A light read, but would happily recommend.
November 9, 2022
Fun read this morning, only took half an hour or so and I learnt a few new interesting things!
January 27, 2020
This book was an interesting read, albeit a brief one.
It contains various facts about grammar that I was unaware of, as well as many I've known for a while. If you are looking for a comprehensive, helpful guide that will teach you about the correct usage of grammar in English, this is definitely not it. If, however, what you you looking for is more of a fun-fact book, this is the book for you! It's interesting, amusing, and often funny, making it a light read rather than the usual dry, heavy grammar guide.
One of its flaws, in my opinion, is its messy organisation (or lack thereof). It bothered me at times that there were random facts being thrown around after I had long forgotten which thread they were connected to.
Overall, though, a light, interesting read that leaves you that little bit more informed about the rules that govern the English language.
It contains various facts about grammar that I was unaware of, as well as many I've known for a while. If you are looking for a comprehensive, helpful guide that will teach you about the correct usage of grammar in English, this is definitely not it. If, however, what you you looking for is more of a fun-fact book, this is the book for you! It's interesting, amusing, and often funny, making it a light read rather than the usual dry, heavy grammar guide.
One of its flaws, in my opinion, is its messy organisation (or lack thereof). It bothered me at times that there were random facts being thrown around after I had long forgotten which thread they were connected to.
Overall, though, a light, interesting read that leaves you that little bit more informed about the rules that govern the English language.
November 11, 2019
A great, easy to read and understandable book with lots of helpful examples.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews