Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9780156031974

Table of Contents

Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE BIG BOOK OF BEASTLY MISPRONUNCIATIONS <br><br> Ek-STROR-di-ner-ee. The best survey of the spoken field in years. --William Safire, The New York Times Magazine <br>

PRAISE FOR THE BIG BOOK OF BEASTLY MISPRONUNCIATIONS <br><br> Ek-STROR-di-ner-ee. The best survey of the spoken field in years. --William Safire, The New York Times Magazine <br>

PRAISE FOR THE BIG BOOK OF BEASTLY MISPRONUNCIATIONS Ek-STROR-di-ner-ee. The best survey of the spoken field in years. --William Safire, The New York Times Magazine

PRAISE FOR THE BIG BOOK OF BEASTLY MISPRONUNCIATIONS <br> Ek-STROR-di-ner-ee. The best survey of the spoken field in years. --William Safire, The New York Times Magazine <br>

PRAISE FOR THE BIG BOOK OF BEASTLY MISPRONUNCIATIONS Ek-STROR-di-ner-ee. The best survey of the spoken field in years. --William Safire, The New York Times Magazine

Author Information

CHARLES HARRINGTON ELSTER is a writer, broadcaster, and logophile-a lover of words. He is the author of several books, including The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations, Verbal Advantage, and There's a Word for It. He is also a guest contributor to the ""On Language"" column of the New York Times Magazine. He lives in San Diego.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available