What in the Word?: Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to the Peskiest Questions about LanguageHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005 - Počet stran: 286 Are you so sure about "assure," "ensure," and "insure"? Can you determine whether a knob of butter is equivalent to a lump or a pat or a scosh? Can you say which word in the English language has the most definitions, or who put the H in Jesus H. Christ? If you can't, be assured that Charles Harrington Elster, author of several well-loved works on language, can--and does in his latest book, a delightfully designed compendium of the most common, interesting, and entertaining conundrums in our language. Drawing upon esoteric sources and his own inimitable expertise, Elster uses a lively question-and-answer format to cover a variety of topics--word and phrase origins, slang, style, usage, punctuation, and pronunciation. Every chapter features original brainteasers, challenging puzzles, and a trove of literary trivia. |
Obsah
ONE ONCE UPON A WORD | 1 |
TWO A SLOUGH OF SOLECISMS | 39 |
THREE THE GRANDILOQUENT GUMSHOE | 75 |
FOUR THE ELEGANCE OF STYLE | 117 |
SIX BORN IN THE USA | 199 |
SEVEN THE WONDER OF WORDS | 237 |
ANSWERS TO | 263 |
| 269 | |
| 275 | |
Běžně se vyskytující výrazy a sousloví
acceptable adjective American answer appear authorities become British called century citation coined comes common considered correct Dictionary difference don't early edition English especially example experts expression fact follow French give Greek hear heard Historical House idea it's King known language late Latin least less letter look lost Mark means meant missing never noun once opinion origin Oxford English Dictionary past perhaps person phrase plural preferred probably pronounced pronunciation question quote recorded rhyming sense sentence singular slang someone sometimes sound speak speakers speech spelling stand story stress suggests syllable tell term there's things thought tion trying turn usage usually variant verb woman wondering word writing wrong wrote York