Misadventures in the English Language

Description

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. It also considers where we are now, appraising (and often praising), the invention of new words from kidult to piscetarian, and Internet-led abbreviations such as JK and ICYMI. It is by turns an explanation of the rules, a rant against gobbledygook and other modern horrors, and a celebration of the inventiveness of today's language-makers. 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 punctuation can make all the difference; why tautologies are just annoying; how corporate speak can actually mean nothing at all; and why naughty, awful, sophisticated and virtue are all words that now mean something completely different from what they originally meant, all aspects of the English language are covered.

Caroline Taggart worked in publishing as an editor of popular non-fiction for thirty years before being asked by Michael O'Mara Books to write I Used to Know That, which became a Sunday Times bestseller. Following that she was co-author of My Grammar and I (or should that be 'Me'?), and wrote a number of other books about words and English usage. She has appeared frequently on television and on national and regional radio, talking about language, grammar and whether or not Druids Cross should have an apostrophe. Her website is carolinetaggart.co.uk and you can follow her on Twitter @citaggart.

"The perfect gift for anyone who speaks English." --Lancashire Evening Post