false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174316526m/378923.jpg 378923 5 Kingsley Amis's <I>The King's English</I> is as witty and biting as his novels. Modestly presented as a volume "in which some modern linguistic problems are discussed and perhaps settled," Amis's usage guide is a worthy companion to his revered <I>Fowler's</I>. <I>The King's English</I> is distinctly British, but never mind: it is sensational. And unlike many of his countrymen, Amis is decidedly pro-American, even admitting a "bias towards American modes of expression as likely to seem the livelier and ... smarter alternative." In a world populated by usage mavens too willing to waffle, Amis is refreshingly unequivocal. On the expression <i>meaningful dialogue</i>? It "looks and sounds unbearably pompous. Nevertheless one would not wish to be deprived of a phrase that so unerringly points out its user as a humourless ninny." To cross one's 7's, he says, "is either gross affectation or, these days, straightforward ignorance." And the frequently misused word <i>viable</i>, he claims, "should be dropped altogether ... simply because it has taken the fancy of every trendy little twit on the look-out for a posh word for feasible, practicable." Forget Amis's protestations of being unfit for the position of language arbiter; after all, as he says, "the defence of the language is too large a matter to be left to the properly qualified." <I>--Jane Steinberg</I> 2047374 1997 The King's English : A Guide to Modern Usage total:53|5:15|4:26|3:11|2:1|1:0| 53 214 105 9 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 16 00:54:21 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 16 01:16:38 -0800 2007
When Marx's wife, Jenny, died, it is said that he could not think about economic theory and revolutionary stuff and inste...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Feb 12 17:09:07 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 26 20:30:55 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 12 17:09:07 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 07 19:38:27 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 19:39:14 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Oct 08 23:40:27 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 08 23:46:45 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue May 01 13:26:13 -0700 2007 Tue May 01 13:33:32 -0700 2007 2 0 false false Sat Aug 25 00:40:56 -0700 2007 Sat Dec 22 00:45:09 -0800 2007 4 0 false false Thu Mar 22 15:51:09 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 23 07:56:20 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Tue Oct 28 16:28:47 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 17 22:56:09 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Jan 22 18:05:22 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 18:05:50 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Fri Nov 27 17:21:26 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 27 17:21:26 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Nov 19 01:21:15 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 01:21:15 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Nov 13 09:29:33 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 13 09:29:33 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 03 11:23:34 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 12:05:41 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Oct 18 01:45:22 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 01:45:22 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 18 01:22:43 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 01:22:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Oct 16 14:49:20 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 14:49:20 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 03 13:10:05 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 13:10:05 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Sep 27 21:07:56 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 21:07:56 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Sep 26 16:05:03 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 26 16:05:03 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 14 12:07:51 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 12:07:51 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=378923