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Jul 19, 2009

Diana rated it:

Well, this is the first book I've finished since I graduated from BC, but that says way more about me and the summer I'm having than about the book. I thought the book was very fun, and I learned a lot about how and why our usage rules have changed (I particularly liked learning more about how some of what people believe to be bad grammar and usage these days was perfectly acceptable just a few centuries ago). I also appreciated the author's attitude toward the topic--grammar and usage shouldn More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 26, 2011

Jigsaw rated it:

"Origins" starts off as a relatively interesting deconstruction of English grammar myths, but quickly turns into a faux-etymological dictionary only to return to grammatical curiosities in the final chapters. As a person interested in linguistics, I tend to fall in the descriptivist camp when it comes to usage--as long as something is understood and accords with what sounds right to the speaker and listener, it is, by definition, good English. The author agrees with this at least. The More...

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Jun 12, 2010

Chris rated it:

I, for obvious reasons, have a great affection for the English Language. It's a rich and exciting tongue, with a history as tangled and strange as they come. Over the last millennium or so, the language has gone through so many shifts and changes that people spend entire lifetimes trying to figure it out. Once they do, more often than not, they find that what once was true about their beloved mother tongue just doesn't hold up today.

So there's a choice to be made by lovers of language: More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 04, 2009

Evanston Public added it

Do you throw down your gauntlet? Or is that gantlet? Which one do you run? And, is your forté (pronounced FOR-tay) gourmet cooking or playing the flugelhorn? Wait—should I have said forte (pronounced fort)? If you’re curious about which usages and pronunciations are correct, and if you’ve wondered why there is so much confusion, Patricia O’Conner and her co-author Stewart Kellerman are here to set the record straight on these and many other language conundrums. Their lively book is a wonderful t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 23, 2010

Ross rated it:

Origins of the Specious is a mildly entertaining mix of descriptivism and prescriptivism. There's a lot of good information to be had, written in a rather witty and pun-laden style, but O'Conner has this rather annoying habit of ending almost every section with, "Although I've just given you lots of information about why it's okay to use this word in a way that the 'purists' deride, you still should avoid doing so because you might offend those purists."

And then there's the More...

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Jan 06, 2012

Wise_owl rated it:

This funny little book is a great read and all about the ways in which language is understood, but more importantly, about the things we THINK we know about English are wrong. The author deftly covers things like False Word Histories(Posh does not descend from 'Port Out, Starboard Home'), Linguistic snobbery divorced from historical reality(many word usages we think modern are really ancient, and pronounciations and spellings are often erratic and more ancient than we give credit), Oddities(The More...

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Jun 24, 2009

Barry rated it:

This book, up with which we shall put, had some interesting anecdotes about English language and usage. Some useful tips for writers and those with an interest in the language, as idiosyncratic as it is.
The overall message really is that if others understand it, then it is reasonably good English.
Also, that external logic applied to the language seems to often lead to changes that seem logical but are changes in evolution from where a word or saying began. Sort of like whales that l More...

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Dec 30, 2011

Clif rated it:

The English language is a slippery chameleon; it won't stop changing. As with any human activity subject to change, there are the conservatives, the liberals and the oblivious people. Into this fray the husband wife team of Patricia T. O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman have authored this book to make fun of the snobbish scholars who insist that English follow false rules. But they don't throw out all the rules.

This book includes humorous quips and puns to keep the reader smiling. Th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 03, 2011

Smellsofbikes rated it:

Superb book about grammar, etymology, and usage, concentrating mostly on usages that aren't as wrong as many amateur language authorities think. Now I have the confidence to bravely split my infinitives and I know that ending sentences in prepositions is where it's at. AND I can even safely start sentences with conjunctions, because, as she points out, Shakespeare, Austen, and Dickens all did it, too, and if it's been in the language, as common usage, for 200 years, it has squatter's rights. More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 31, 2009

Derek rated it:

This is a humorous debunking of misconceptions about the English language. “Prince Charles’ mom may be queen of England, but he has a lot to learn about the Queen’s English,” quip the authors as they deal with the false notion that American English is some sort of backwoods dialect of the real thing. In fact, American English often preserves forms that have gone out of vogue in the old country. The authors go on to deal with usage, grammar, semantics, and etymologies, drawing on the citations in More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 16, 2009

tomlinton rated it:

Aha! Standard American pronunciation
goes back farther than England's
Apparently they're a bit faddy
and have changed the way
they pronounce some things after
the establishment of the colonies

Pun your way through this book

I don't know how much is sticking in my head
so I'm keeping it as a reference
on my Kindle

That's the fun part
Carrying around your reference library
It's a ways from outgrowing the K2 at 1500 book More...

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Oct 27, 2009

Bunxena rated it:

An interesting collection of myths and misconceptions about certain words in the English language. In addition to those pesky myths about split infinitives and ending sentences with a preposition, O'Conner and Kellerman set many other misconceptions to rest (using "that" with a person instead of "who" in relative clauses, the idea of "none" always being singular), while debating the changing meanings of some words (such as unique, enormity, surprised/astonished). Th More...

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Jun 15, 2011

Aerin rated it:

In elementary school, I was that snot-nosed little brat who'd always raise her hand to point out that the teacher forgot a comma on the blackboard, but I've mellowed out a lot over the years. As a kid, I'd read a book like this and then spend a month going around telling everyone how they're using "surprised" when what they really mean is "astonished", and that "beg the question" doesn't mean anything like "raise the question".

Really, I don't kn More...

13 comments like (12 people liked it)

Feb 28, 2011

Amanda rated it:

This was a quick, interesting read for those of us who care about whether to use "gauntlet" or "gantlet" in common conversation (and I confess I'm one of those who want to know the difference). I appreciated the beauty of language in this book and the fact that we can really do quite precise. So this was a good balance of reminding us where English comes from, how its changed over time and what words you can/should use without sounding terribly pretentious in the process.

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Jan 19, 2011

Khairul H. rated it:

If you aren't sure if how to pronounce a particular word, check this book first. Chances are it's in here and the author will tell you that the way you pronounced that word is the accepted version nowadays although it did not start that way and she'll tell you why.

A good book to throw at so-called purists of the English language. English is a constantly evolving language, we must evolve with it.

I wonder how they'll speak the language in 100 years time?

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Sep 18, 2009

Beyle rated it:

As an English grad, I found this book quite interesting. I enjoy reading books about the evolution of the English language and this one does not disappoint. Throughout the book, O'Conner debunks the myths surrounding a myriad of commonly used (abused) American expressions. I particularly liked the section on how Americans misuse French expressions that have long been integrated into our language.

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Apr 01, 2010

Stargrave rated it:

in a nutshell: if you understand someone but think their English is wrong, it likely isn't. although there isn't so much right and wrong as much as has been used that way for a long time.

this book is amusing and the author's research is appreciated but it's a bit without over-arching punch, though probably everyone will find a few anecdotes which resonate with them

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Sep 10, 2011

Laura rated it:

I had expected this book to be a more narrative, in-depth look at the evolution of the English language. Instead, it's a series of vignettes on the origins (and fake origins) of different words and phrases. I found it a bit too disjointed to hold my attention, but it would probably be interesting to someone who is very interested in language (and particularly word origins).

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Jan 11, 2009

Ron rated it:

(to be publsihed later in 2009). The author of WOE IS I gives us a series of essays on the constantly evolving English Language. Any inveterate grammarian will find that he (see the book about gender usage) is misinformed. Who knew that "forte" and "foible" came from fencing.

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Nov 18, 2011

Keli rated it:

I would have preferred a more in-depth book. I found that I gleaned more trivia than foundational knowledge about the English Language. The trivia was interesting and easy to read, but I would have preferred a more coherent and focused book. O'Conner is an entertaining author. I hope she writes something a little more rigorous.

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Jan 25, 2010

Kathy rated it:

For a word nerd like me, this fun and practical guide to misused words and their histories was like permission to correct people's mistakes. "I KNEW I was right about that word" could be heard coming from my mouth for days while reading this book. Gotta love it!

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Nov 15, 2010

Stacey is currently reading it

This is so interesting - a great read so far - goes into the misconceptions of word origins and how British English is not necessarily "better" than American English -- who knew that they started pronouncing the h in "herb" after the colonies seceded!

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Nov 03, 2009

Linda rated it:

Being a proper grammarian or wordsmith is difficult. Sometimes one needs to stick to ones guns and other times one needs to go with the flow of the vox populi. Ms. O'Connor covers words, phrases, and grammar with humor. A must read for those logophiles.

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Jun 15, 2009

Micah rated it:

I probably knew at least half of this already, and none of the rest was particularly surprising. It was worth reading anyway, for the profusion of really awful puns (for example, it describes one purported etymology of "brassiere" as "titillating but, alas, insupportable").

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Jun 01, 2009

Keith rated it:

I heard about this book because the author was being interviewed on some show on public radio. It sounded very interesting knowing that I enjoyed "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" a few years back. It isn't a book about grammer it's a book about words. Very fun!

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Jun 29, 2010

Julie rated it:

I enjoyed learning where different words and phrases came from and how some of the grammar rules I've worked so hard to follow do not really apply anymore or are not hard and fast rules. My only complaint it that it ruined the British accent for me.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 06, 2011

Kirstie rated it:

The author has a wonderful voice that carries you through the oddities that make up the English language. Some of the things mentioned are repeated in her other books, but it's still enjoyable and informative. I learned a few new things.

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Jan 17, 2010

Scotchneat rated it:

I wrote a full review for this one on the blog .

I really liked the writing style and O'Connor's philosophy on language etiquette and standards.

Definitely an enjoyable read.

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Feb 25, 2010

Michelle rated it:

This was fun in parts, although I already knew most of the fun stuff in it. I was hoping to give it to my language-obsessed son but there is a chapter on bad language--really bad language. So he won't get to read it.

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Feb 19, 2010

Keith rated it:

Fun and interesting book about English myths and word origins.
For instance that story about all the Eskimo words for snow is bogus.
Very enlightening. Did you know it's totally OK to split infinitives and to end a sentence with a preposition? That's where it's at!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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