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English Bites! My 'Fullproof' English Learning Formula
About the Book:
English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is the story of a man who goes from being tongue-tied in school to becoming a smooth talking banker. Through a series of hilarious personal adventures and misadventures, Manish Gupta provides easy solutions to problems faced by language learners. So, whether you're a vernacular speaker, a GRE/ GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!
• Add over 1000 new words to your vocabulary and figure out easy and effective ways to expand your word bank.
• Combine etymology, mnemonics, jokes and anecdotes to better your understanding of the English language.
• Differentiate between similar sounding words and learn to use them right.
• Improve your general knowledge with trivia that spans brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.
About the Author:
Manish Gupta is a banking professional. When not crunching numbers he is busy engaging with and examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language. He also likes trivia, travelling, adventure sports, delving into human psychology, and giving professorial discourses to colleagues, family and friends, and practically anyone who can give him a patient hearing. An engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.
English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is the story of a man who goes from being tongue-tied in school to becoming a smooth talking banker. Through a series of hilarious personal adventures and misadventures, Manish Gupta provides easy solutions to problems faced by language learners. So, whether you're a vernacular speaker, a GRE/ GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!
• Add over 1000 new words to your vocabulary and figure out easy and effective ways to expand your word bank.
• Combine etymology, mnemonics, jokes and anecdotes to better your understanding of the English language.
• Differentiate between similar sounding words and learn to use them right.
• Improve your general knowledge with trivia that spans brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.
About the Author:
Manish Gupta is a banking professional. When not crunching numbers he is busy engaging with and examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language. He also likes trivia, travelling, adventure sports, delving into human psychology, and giving professorial discourses to colleagues, family and friends, and practically anyone who can give him a patient hearing. An engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.
344 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2012
33 people are currently reading
1011 people want to read
About the author
Manish Gupta
2 books48 followersManish Gupta is a leadership consultant, facilitator and train. When not providing consultancy advice to companies, this ex-banker examines the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language. He also likes trivia, travelling, adventure sports, delving into human psychology and giving professorial discourses to colleagues, family and friends—practically anyone who can give him a patient hearing. He debuted as an author with English Bites! (Penguin Books India, New Delhi, 2012)—an unconventional and fun way of gaining proficiency in English, with focus on vocabulary, pronunciation, and spoken skills.
An engineering graduate of PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, and with an MBA degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and their daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.
An engineering graduate of PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, and with an MBA degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and their daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 26, 2013
nglish Bites comes as a relief, playing the last ray of hope for the all those that aspire to mastery of English –be it a vernacular speaker hailing from the hinterlands of states of low literacy, an abbreviated-titled-exam aspirant or just a language nut. The book claims to add over a thousand words to your vocabulary and pours down on you informal and exciting ways to expand your database of active words.
How does Manish Gupta, the author of the book, manage to teach you over a thousand words in a book of just 334 pages? The answer is simple – he talks to you, tells you stories and gives you ample time to absorb the word till he gives you the next. The words are used in the right context that further helps you get an idea on how you should use it thereafter… and till the time you finish the book, you come to realize that many new words have been added to your memory.
The footnotes at the bottom of each page are a great aid. The sole purpose of these footnotes is to keep acquainting you with the meaning. This is how you come in contact with the new word and learn it then and there.
Overall, English Bites has been an excellent effort towards interests of word learners and has come out very well. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has even slightest of interest in enriching their vocabulary. Enhancement of their general knowledge is a plus, enabling them to boast of knowing things that nobody around them knows.
How does Manish Gupta, the author of the book, manage to teach you over a thousand words in a book of just 334 pages? The answer is simple – he talks to you, tells you stories and gives you ample time to absorb the word till he gives you the next. The words are used in the right context that further helps you get an idea on how you should use it thereafter… and till the time you finish the book, you come to realize that many new words have been added to your memory.
The footnotes at the bottom of each page are a great aid. The sole purpose of these footnotes is to keep acquainting you with the meaning. This is how you come in contact with the new word and learn it then and there.
Overall, English Bites has been an excellent effort towards interests of word learners and has come out very well. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has even slightest of interest in enriching their vocabulary. Enhancement of their general knowledge is a plus, enabling them to boast of knowing things that nobody around them knows.
July 16, 2013
Manish Gupta is an angel for everyone wanting to give GRE or improve their vocabulary as never before have I seen such fun filled story with incidences explaining words, the various ways in which they can be used all into a story of his own journey into learning the language and his life around that time. The incidents are hilarious, keeps the read light and enjoyable.
The Review:
Positives: I was doubtful initially that the book might turn out to be boring but the writing and incidences kept it alive, not a single page seemed dis-interesting. the only rule to read this book is read it at your pace, one chapter a day or so, only then can you do justice to imbibing its essence and the authors efforts.
The USP of the book is the meanings(and believe me even the multiple ones) are all there, so one just has to look at the end of the page for them, which makes it an effortless and easy read.
Negatives: None
The Verdict: Highly Recommended read. Hats off to the authors efforts. Not a traditional self help book that people run away from. 4 stars on 5.
For a complete review please refer to my link text
The Review:
Positives: I was doubtful initially that the book might turn out to be boring but the writing and incidences kept it alive, not a single page seemed dis-interesting. the only rule to read this book is read it at your pace, one chapter a day or so, only then can you do justice to imbibing its essence and the authors efforts.
The USP of the book is the meanings(and believe me even the multiple ones) are all there, so one just has to look at the end of the page for them, which makes it an effortless and easy read.
Negatives: None
The Verdict: Highly Recommended read. Hats off to the authors efforts. Not a traditional self help book that people run away from. 4 stars on 5.
For a complete review please refer to my link text
September 29, 2013
3.5
Foreword:
When I first received a mail from the author asking to review his book, I was pretty impressed from the way the mail was composed. The whole mail comprised of six lines and those lines contained the basic plot of the book, the publications (which played a big role on accepting to review his book right away) and his liking for our blog (which I presume is genuine and feel grateful).
It has been sometime since I last read a researched non-fiction. Of course, my last read, Wise Enough to be Foolish by Gauri Jayaram, was a non-fiction, but it was a story, while this book is a researched non-fiction on English language, trying and improving the readers' vocabulary.
Overall, the book was pretty helpful for the BR catalog and to me, an aspiring author, to plunge and discover undiscovered areas of literary genres.
I can't continue with the rest of the review without thanking Manish Gupta, the author, for writing and sending the books over to us. Hope you are satisfied with our review, Manish ji.
After a good amount of thinking I decided to add two descriptions of the book - one from the jacket of the book and the one stated by the author in the mail - so that you, the readers, have a better idea of the aim of the book...
Plot:
From jacket:
English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is the story of a man who goes from being tongue-tied in school to becoming a smooth talking banker. Through a series of hilarious personal adventures and misadventures, Manish Gupta provides easy solutions to problems faced by language learners. So, whether you're a vernacular speaker, a GRE/ GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!
• Add over 1000 new words to your vocabulary and figure out easy and effective ways to expand your word bank.
• Combine etymology, mnemonics, jokes and anecdotes to better your understanding of the English language.
• Differentiate between similar sounding words and learn to use them right.
• Improve your general knowledge with trivia that spans brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.
From the mail:
It is a simple yet hilarious story of a small town guy who studies in the vernacular medium and extremely poor in his communication skills, pronunciation, and vocabulary, and how he discovers and invents interesting tools techniques to best the convent educated lot in his class. He finally realises his dream of an MBA, gets a great job in a multinational bank, marries the women from his dream profession (medicine) for his spouse, and how he gets stumped by English in the new nursery rhymes his kids begin reciting at home.
About the author (from the jacket):
Manish Gupta is a banking professional. When not crunching numbers he is busy engaging with and examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language. He also likes trivia, travelling, adventure sports, delving into human psychology, and giving professorial discourses to colleagues, family and friends, and practically anyone who can give him a patient hearing. An engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.
He can be reached at mystruggleswithenglish@gmail.com
Our review:
Cover Design:
The tagline - My Fullproof Enlish Learning Formula - with the word, fullproof, rounded with red marker visibly prompts that the story is comical. (If you didn't get it. The tagline indicates that this book helps you learn English in a more faster way. But the word 'Foolproof' is mispelled as 'Fullproof'. Hope you get the witticism behind the tagline. If you don't even now, God help you.)
Also the comic person going head over heel.......................................
To read the entire review, click here...
Foreword:
When I first received a mail from the author asking to review his book, I was pretty impressed from the way the mail was composed. The whole mail comprised of six lines and those lines contained the basic plot of the book, the publications (which played a big role on accepting to review his book right away) and his liking for our blog (which I presume is genuine and feel grateful).
It has been sometime since I last read a researched non-fiction. Of course, my last read, Wise Enough to be Foolish by Gauri Jayaram, was a non-fiction, but it was a story, while this book is a researched non-fiction on English language, trying and improving the readers' vocabulary.
Overall, the book was pretty helpful for the BR catalog and to me, an aspiring author, to plunge and discover undiscovered areas of literary genres.
I can't continue with the rest of the review without thanking Manish Gupta, the author, for writing and sending the books over to us. Hope you are satisfied with our review, Manish ji.
After a good amount of thinking I decided to add two descriptions of the book - one from the jacket of the book and the one stated by the author in the mail - so that you, the readers, have a better idea of the aim of the book...
Plot:
From jacket:
English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is the story of a man who goes from being tongue-tied in school to becoming a smooth talking banker. Through a series of hilarious personal adventures and misadventures, Manish Gupta provides easy solutions to problems faced by language learners. So, whether you're a vernacular speaker, a GRE/ GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!
• Add over 1000 new words to your vocabulary and figure out easy and effective ways to expand your word bank.
• Combine etymology, mnemonics, jokes and anecdotes to better your understanding of the English language.
• Differentiate between similar sounding words and learn to use them right.
• Improve your general knowledge with trivia that spans brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.
From the mail:
It is a simple yet hilarious story of a small town guy who studies in the vernacular medium and extremely poor in his communication skills, pronunciation, and vocabulary, and how he discovers and invents interesting tools techniques to best the convent educated lot in his class. He finally realises his dream of an MBA, gets a great job in a multinational bank, marries the women from his dream profession (medicine) for his spouse, and how he gets stumped by English in the new nursery rhymes his kids begin reciting at home.
About the author (from the jacket):
Manish Gupta is a banking professional. When not crunching numbers he is busy engaging with and examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language. He also likes trivia, travelling, adventure sports, delving into human psychology, and giving professorial discourses to colleagues, family and friends, and practically anyone who can give him a patient hearing. An engineering graduate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, he lives in Mumbai with his wife Deepali, a medical professional, and daughters Tamanna and Prakriti.
He can be reached at mystruggleswithenglish@gmail.com
Our review:
Cover Design:
The tagline - My Fullproof Enlish Learning Formula - with the word, fullproof, rounded with red marker visibly prompts that the story is comical. (If you didn't get it. The tagline indicates that this book helps you learn English in a more faster way. But the word 'Foolproof' is mispelled as 'Fullproof'. Hope you get the witticism behind the tagline. If you don't even now, God help you.)
Also the comic person going head over heel.......................................
To read the entire review, click here...
November 27, 2013
We shall all agree in one thing. If we ever went to school, we had that dictionary, Word Power Made Easy and Thesaurus neatly lined in our study tables. English in India is still a big deal. Of course it is spoken by 1.4 billion people across the world as either primary or secondary language and it is ever growing. English Bites is an honest attempt by Manish Gupta to introduce new words in our English vocabulary. But there is much more to this book then a book that teaches you new words.
Let us first give a huge round of applause to Gupta for creating a book which is one of its own kinds. If just written to enhance one’s word power, it could have been another dry book that we pick only before going for an exam or in rare case while trying to figuring a word meaning. Gupta plays very creative with his presentation, not something one will generally expect. He weaves in stories, anecdotes, pictures, jokes and trivia to bring in new tough words, which also helps the reader remember those words with ease. That is where Gupta scores higher than anyone else writing a book on word power. He does not stop there, the narratives are mostly autobiographical and it is hilarious. He describes his days as a young boy struggling with his English to a suave man with polished English. This book traces anecdotes of almost twenty years.
If you are reading this book, let me remind you that this book needs to be read in bites. In gist, go slow. You just can’t flip on pages like any other book of fiction. Each page demands your attention. Though the book is funny and a small smile will dwindle all over your face throughout, still you will need time to assimilate everything the author is saying in his simple style. The author has highlighted new difficult words in bold and has shared its meaning in the footnote which definitely saves the reader running for the dictionary.
The author definitely deserves special mention for finding such an interesting way to teach the readers new words and meanings. From wine to sports every topic is touched upon. We only wish there were more pictures, which added to the fun part of the book. This is definitely a book for anyone who wants to learn English with doses of laughter and fun. But as mentioned above, give time to this book. You might not grab the format at once, but once you do, you would know, it was all worth it.
Looking forward to Mr.Gupta next release.
Let us first give a huge round of applause to Gupta for creating a book which is one of its own kinds. If just written to enhance one’s word power, it could have been another dry book that we pick only before going for an exam or in rare case while trying to figuring a word meaning. Gupta plays very creative with his presentation, not something one will generally expect. He weaves in stories, anecdotes, pictures, jokes and trivia to bring in new tough words, which also helps the reader remember those words with ease. That is where Gupta scores higher than anyone else writing a book on word power. He does not stop there, the narratives are mostly autobiographical and it is hilarious. He describes his days as a young boy struggling with his English to a suave man with polished English. This book traces anecdotes of almost twenty years.
If you are reading this book, let me remind you that this book needs to be read in bites. In gist, go slow. You just can’t flip on pages like any other book of fiction. Each page demands your attention. Though the book is funny and a small smile will dwindle all over your face throughout, still you will need time to assimilate everything the author is saying in his simple style. The author has highlighted new difficult words in bold and has shared its meaning in the footnote which definitely saves the reader running for the dictionary.
The author definitely deserves special mention for finding such an interesting way to teach the readers new words and meanings. From wine to sports every topic is touched upon. We only wish there were more pictures, which added to the fun part of the book. This is definitely a book for anyone who wants to learn English with doses of laughter and fun. But as mentioned above, give time to this book. You might not grab the format at once, but once you do, you would know, it was all worth it.
Looking forward to Mr.Gupta next release.
September 28, 2013
English Bites – My Fullproof English Learning Formula is indeed a foolproof formula as it makes learning words total fun. I still remember when I was small my dad used to ask me to learn 10 words from dictionary or newspapers and report to him in the evening. In school we used to hate the English lecture when we had a vocabulary lesson because it used to be the driest 45 minutes of the day. If only we had a book like this back then. The book is the story of the author who also was from vernacular medium and fought a long exhaustive war with English to finally conquer it. The journey is scribed in the book with pinch of humor, satire, a bit of emotions, all on a strong base of reality and is adorned with apt comic sketches and a lot of amusing trivia.
The book successfully erases the trite methods of learning languages and sets a new and a trend through this book, reason? The book not only a compendium of lot of words, it gives you the meaning of all the words then and there, at times with their origin as well. So you could let your dictionary rest and just enjoy the book without any distraction. And if the reader is like me nothing could be better as I am super lazy while reading a book. I would rather re read the line two three times and figure out some meaning than check the correct meaning by travelling some meters, picking up a dirtied by age old dust Dictionary and hunting for the word in the yellowed pages. The book sounds amazing now right?
Read the whole review on http://vaisakhimishra.blogspot.in/201...
The book successfully erases the trite methods of learning languages and sets a new and a trend through this book, reason? The book not only a compendium of lot of words, it gives you the meaning of all the words then and there, at times with their origin as well. So you could let your dictionary rest and just enjoy the book without any distraction. And if the reader is like me nothing could be better as I am super lazy while reading a book. I would rather re read the line two three times and figure out some meaning than check the correct meaning by travelling some meters, picking up a dirtied by age old dust Dictionary and hunting for the word in the yellowed pages. The book sounds amazing now right?
Read the whole review on http://vaisakhimishra.blogspot.in/201...
April 23, 2014
A fantastic resource for all types of "Language Nuts" & GRE/GMAT Aspirants looking to crack the verbal, Manish Gupta presents a lucid, well-thought out book that peels away the layers using an effective mix of "Etymology" & "Storytelling". Using a galore of anecdotal examples, real life situations & detailed footnotes, the author makes this language accessible and easy to understand & remember. you may use words like "Lexical Parallelism", "Topology", Homonyms etc to get your point across but the truth remains that this language doesn't bite.
And it takes one man's hilarious misadventures through life to lay this truth bare in front of us. Go ahead, take a bite. It don't bite back.
Here are my thoughts in detail: http://bit.ly/Qyb8nh
And it takes one man's hilarious misadventures through life to lay this truth bare in front of us. Go ahead, take a bite. It don't bite back.
Here are my thoughts in detail: http://bit.ly/Qyb8nh
September 30, 2013
The cover of the book showing a boy burdened with books trying to cram up all the information is quite apt. Even the name of the book is also quite interesting. I felt it can be interpreted in two ways.....(read more here:- http://dreamzandclouds.wordpress.com/...)
September 19, 2013
he importance of English (The global language) in today’s world needs no introduction. We all know, how important it is to learn, be comfortable with and have a command on the language that is connecting the globe. With disruptive technologies and subsuming markets ruling the knowledge based economy we live in, a good command on English language is not just an asset but is actually a necessity.
While one can improve one’s grammar doing grammar exercises, speaking to others and constructing simple sentences etc.. Learning new words, remembering and reusing them are completely a different cup of tea altogether. Imagine a situation where you are on a call and you do not understand the word or a jargon used by your foreign counterpart, for that matter imagine reading a report that makes you refer the dictionary quite often. Embarrassing and time-consuming isn’t it? Probably that’s the reason why almost all management aptitude tests have a section that tests the candidates’ proficiency with the words.
Learning words is never easy, at least that’s true for me. While sitting for my CAT, I remember receiving word-card-decks that TIME used to give us to learn the words. I found it tough to remember the words and was confused with the subtle nuances and idiosyncrasies (Manish, if you are reading this , don’t accuse me of plagiarism J) of the language. I was always looking for an easier way to learn and remember these wonderful words and expand my vocabulary. For, most of the times when we read word lists, the biggest problem is that we have to create a story around the word and when you see the word you ought to remember the story and get the meaning right?
Now, what if there a story that’s woven around 1000+ tough words. What if the story is a pretty enjoyable read that arouses interest and makes you look forward for the next chapter. What if it is ornated with few tough words here and there and also provides you the meanings at the end of the page. An offer you cannot refuse, isn’t it ? Well, that’s what Manish Gupta did in his book “English Bites — my Fullproof English learning formula”. He has by and large provided an easy way to tackle this otherwise tough and obnoxious task of improving one’s vocabulary.
The story starts with he going to school and the perception it creates about English in his mind. Then, we get to see English-Bites his years at college where he resolves to improve his English speaking skills. The troubles, travails and travelogues (cathay pacific incident) of the author tell us about his struggle with English and how he made himself proficient with the language. Revealing too much would be a spoiler here and hence I’d say this, by time the story reaches his toddlers, the reader would have smiled, guffawed, felt awed, enjoyed, scratched his head and still got all his words, their usages, a lot of trivia and a lot of GK too. Manish has embedded awesome trivia, nice anecdotes, hilarious jokes and interesting stories regarding the word origins in the book. From now on, every time I hear the word bedraggled I am gonna remember Manish’s joke on that. Again every time he speaks about a tough word, it is in bold and italicized. At the end of each page the meanings and usage of all these tough words are well elucidated.
While the flow of story keeps us glued to the book, the trivia and the other stuff makes it more interesting. Manish speaks about words that have come from animals, behaviors, vehicles (penny farthing was ultimate), voyages (never knew that the word “POSH” had something to do with the British sailing to India ), medicine and a wide variety of professions. Once you read the word and the story behind it you are not likely to forget either of them.
Then he talks about mnemonics that help us remember the words, spooners that make stuff look funny, self contradicting oxymorons, palindromes , lipograms and a wide variety of words and techniques that stimulate our curiosity and rouse our interest to learn more.
The biggest complaint I have against Manish and the book, is that he took too long a time to finish and release it. Had he released it 3 years ago I too would have used it for my CAT prep. Coming to the things that could have improved, at times I felt as if there were too many words on a page and I also felt that some of the topics were slightly getting dragged but it is okay as the essence of the book is to teach new words and help the reader.
From my experience with CAT, I would say it is a must buy for the CAT/GMAT and GRE aspirants. It would teach you a lot more stuff in a way that’s fun. Not just For MBA aspirants, it’s a must buy for any person who is serious on building good vocab skills. An ideal book for people in the services industry who are in customer facing roles.
Having said that, I would say that anyone who is reading it must read it in a slow and phased way, read a few pages –> pick a few words–> use them in front of your friends–> imbibe and internalize them and then move to the next chapter /pages in the book . That’s the best way of reading it. Read it – use the words then reread it and you would have made yourself proficient in the vocabulary.
Read the book, every penny you spend on the book
is worth it.
The review was originally published on my blog
http://satyasurya.wordpress.com/2013/...
While one can improve one’s grammar doing grammar exercises, speaking to others and constructing simple sentences etc.. Learning new words, remembering and reusing them are completely a different cup of tea altogether. Imagine a situation where you are on a call and you do not understand the word or a jargon used by your foreign counterpart, for that matter imagine reading a report that makes you refer the dictionary quite often. Embarrassing and time-consuming isn’t it? Probably that’s the reason why almost all management aptitude tests have a section that tests the candidates’ proficiency with the words.
Learning words is never easy, at least that’s true for me. While sitting for my CAT, I remember receiving word-card-decks that TIME used to give us to learn the words. I found it tough to remember the words and was confused with the subtle nuances and idiosyncrasies (Manish, if you are reading this , don’t accuse me of plagiarism J) of the language. I was always looking for an easier way to learn and remember these wonderful words and expand my vocabulary. For, most of the times when we read word lists, the biggest problem is that we have to create a story around the word and when you see the word you ought to remember the story and get the meaning right?
Now, what if there a story that’s woven around 1000+ tough words. What if the story is a pretty enjoyable read that arouses interest and makes you look forward for the next chapter. What if it is ornated with few tough words here and there and also provides you the meanings at the end of the page. An offer you cannot refuse, isn’t it ? Well, that’s what Manish Gupta did in his book “English Bites — my Fullproof English learning formula”. He has by and large provided an easy way to tackle this otherwise tough and obnoxious task of improving one’s vocabulary.
The story starts with he going to school and the perception it creates about English in his mind. Then, we get to see English-Bites his years at college where he resolves to improve his English speaking skills. The troubles, travails and travelogues (cathay pacific incident) of the author tell us about his struggle with English and how he made himself proficient with the language. Revealing too much would be a spoiler here and hence I’d say this, by time the story reaches his toddlers, the reader would have smiled, guffawed, felt awed, enjoyed, scratched his head and still got all his words, their usages, a lot of trivia and a lot of GK too. Manish has embedded awesome trivia, nice anecdotes, hilarious jokes and interesting stories regarding the word origins in the book. From now on, every time I hear the word bedraggled I am gonna remember Manish’s joke on that. Again every time he speaks about a tough word, it is in bold and italicized. At the end of each page the meanings and usage of all these tough words are well elucidated.
While the flow of story keeps us glued to the book, the trivia and the other stuff makes it more interesting. Manish speaks about words that have come from animals, behaviors, vehicles (penny farthing was ultimate), voyages (never knew that the word “POSH” had something to do with the British sailing to India ), medicine and a wide variety of professions. Once you read the word and the story behind it you are not likely to forget either of them.
Then he talks about mnemonics that help us remember the words, spooners that make stuff look funny, self contradicting oxymorons, palindromes , lipograms and a wide variety of words and techniques that stimulate our curiosity and rouse our interest to learn more.
The biggest complaint I have against Manish and the book, is that he took too long a time to finish and release it. Had he released it 3 years ago I too would have used it for my CAT prep. Coming to the things that could have improved, at times I felt as if there were too many words on a page and I also felt that some of the topics were slightly getting dragged but it is okay as the essence of the book is to teach new words and help the reader.
From my experience with CAT, I would say it is a must buy for the CAT/GMAT and GRE aspirants. It would teach you a lot more stuff in a way that’s fun. Not just For MBA aspirants, it’s a must buy for any person who is serious on building good vocab skills. An ideal book for people in the services industry who are in customer facing roles.
Having said that, I would say that anyone who is reading it must read it in a slow and phased way, read a few pages –> pick a few words–> use them in front of your friends–> imbibe and internalize them and then move to the next chapter /pages in the book . That’s the best way of reading it. Read it – use the words then reread it and you would have made yourself proficient in the vocabulary.
Read the book, every penny you spend on the book
is worth it.
The review was originally published on my blog
http://satyasurya.wordpress.com/2013/...
September 11, 2013
Recently, we celebrated Teacher's Day with full enthusiasm and respect for everyone from whom we got to learn something in life, about life or that helped us improve in life. From last two weeks, I am reading a book "English Bites". I have finally finished it now. You can not say that I was stuck on it knowing my reading speed but this book was certainly not meant for reading in least number of hours but to explore every page of it by taking as much time as possible. On the day of Teachers, I remembered the author of this book- Mr. Manish Gupta because the way his book has been helping me from last two weeks in developing my vocabulary and English is phenomenal. All of my regular readers already know that I learn 2 new words daily and keep on revising the words that are being noted down earlier. Though I have stopped using them on my Blog due to request from some readers who are Freshers in this language and read mine to start with the basics. Hence, you can know how useful and productive this book is to me. :-)
"English Bites!" also has the tagline of "My Fullproof English Learning Formula" where Fullproof is being rounded off by a red circle. :-) Manish Gupta is a debutant and with this book, I am sure he is going to be followed by many fans who were waiting for an easy book that can improve their English. When someone like me who continuously work upon his English found this book to be a fresh way of teaching the language, you can predict how much useful it would be to someone who has not yet put an effort in learning the language. Picking up a Wren and Martin's grammar or Norman Lewis book may be a boring task for people but picking up a commercial novel with a debutant author being published by India's biggest publisher, Penguin, is the most interesting way of promoting the book in the genre. And the great thing is that the author claims guarantee that it's a useful book for anyone who is preparing for GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT and similar competitive exams. He also claims that after the book is finished, 1000 words will easily be a part of our vocabulary. Yes, even I have noted down many words in my diary in last two weeks.
Author talks about his life in the book. About how he came from a vernacular background, how he changes his city, how he gets a friend, how they together start working in development of their language, how his grades start falling down, how then he faces interviews, gets job etc. With it, he keeps on talking about the only focus of his life- to improve his English. And that's something very unique about thsi book. Then, when you read any literary book, the writer and the publisher knows that a reader will be unable to understand at least 2-3 words every page but still they don't provide with an easy way to look for the meaning of those words. Manish Gupta has given a very good idea to all the future authors and the current ones too. On the page itself, he gives the meaning of all the difficult words which helps you in not picking up a dictionary or keeping it with you while reading this book. You don't even have to go to the last pages of the book to see the meaning in the glossary. It's on the same page itself. What more can you demand from a book?
Manish Gupta's writing style is quite professional. I just found this as a limitation that might make a reader feel this book as boring. Little humour, sarcasm and satire could have worked in the favour of the book but author has kept it too professional and formal. Another thing, he kept it totally focused on learning the language, he should have included some other facts about his life too and could have talked about it in an interesting manner. With it, he could have continued making us learn new words. Another limitation that I feel is- the length of the book. It could have been short while a sequel could have been planned. But the pages of the book has also increased as the meanings of the words are given on each page so lets minus this drawback. Else, I would say that everyone who feels that he does not have a good vocabulary or even a basic foundation, can surely pick up this book. Author has written with too many examples. He has given too many facts that we don't know about the language that we use daily. He has talked about grammar without letting us know that he's teaching us the same. The trivia that he has mentioned every now and then in the book is the most interesting part of it. I just can't define in my words even after reading this book full of vocabulary that how helpful this book can be. :-) If you miss it, don't ever again complain that Indian authors are ruining the language as this new gentleman is here for us, for our good. :-)
"English Bites!" also has the tagline of "My Fullproof English Learning Formula" where Fullproof is being rounded off by a red circle. :-) Manish Gupta is a debutant and with this book, I am sure he is going to be followed by many fans who were waiting for an easy book that can improve their English. When someone like me who continuously work upon his English found this book to be a fresh way of teaching the language, you can predict how much useful it would be to someone who has not yet put an effort in learning the language. Picking up a Wren and Martin's grammar or Norman Lewis book may be a boring task for people but picking up a commercial novel with a debutant author being published by India's biggest publisher, Penguin, is the most interesting way of promoting the book in the genre. And the great thing is that the author claims guarantee that it's a useful book for anyone who is preparing for GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT and similar competitive exams. He also claims that after the book is finished, 1000 words will easily be a part of our vocabulary. Yes, even I have noted down many words in my diary in last two weeks.
Author talks about his life in the book. About how he came from a vernacular background, how he changes his city, how he gets a friend, how they together start working in development of their language, how his grades start falling down, how then he faces interviews, gets job etc. With it, he keeps on talking about the only focus of his life- to improve his English. And that's something very unique about thsi book. Then, when you read any literary book, the writer and the publisher knows that a reader will be unable to understand at least 2-3 words every page but still they don't provide with an easy way to look for the meaning of those words. Manish Gupta has given a very good idea to all the future authors and the current ones too. On the page itself, he gives the meaning of all the difficult words which helps you in not picking up a dictionary or keeping it with you while reading this book. You don't even have to go to the last pages of the book to see the meaning in the glossary. It's on the same page itself. What more can you demand from a book?
Manish Gupta's writing style is quite professional. I just found this as a limitation that might make a reader feel this book as boring. Little humour, sarcasm and satire could have worked in the favour of the book but author has kept it too professional and formal. Another thing, he kept it totally focused on learning the language, he should have included some other facts about his life too and could have talked about it in an interesting manner. With it, he could have continued making us learn new words. Another limitation that I feel is- the length of the book. It could have been short while a sequel could have been planned. But the pages of the book has also increased as the meanings of the words are given on each page so lets minus this drawback. Else, I would say that everyone who feels that he does not have a good vocabulary or even a basic foundation, can surely pick up this book. Author has written with too many examples. He has given too many facts that we don't know about the language that we use daily. He has talked about grammar without letting us know that he's teaching us the same. The trivia that he has mentioned every now and then in the book is the most interesting part of it. I just can't define in my words even after reading this book full of vocabulary that how helpful this book can be. :-) If you miss it, don't ever again complain that Indian authors are ruining the language as this new gentleman is here for us, for our good. :-)
September 22, 2013
Let me be honest … when I first heard of English Bites! I thought it would be just another plain old boring English guide, ready to serve aspirants of GRE and other such competitive examinations. True, this book will definitely enhance your vocabulary and add several new words in your mental dictionary; but boring? No definitely not; rather, far from it.
English Bites! isn’t a long discourse on word building and language strengthening; rather it is a unique methodology to build up your vocabulary and improve your verbal skill. You don’t need to wrack your brain worrying about the complexities of this language anymore. You just need to sit back, relax, with a cup of coffee, and go lazily through the pages.
And yeah, do keep a pen and notepad by your side. That’s recommended.
The book is divided into several chapters, each dealing with different phases in the author’s life. Manish Gupta starts with his school days and moves on to engineering. Once he completes it, Manish is lured by the prospect of obtaining a management degree. Through his dedication and hard work, he gets into the prestigious management institute, XLRI. When he gets settled comfortably in his job and career, the author decides to get married and as planned by destiny, meets his match. They exchange marital vows, and after a few years, Manish and Deepali, his better half, are blessed with the amazing joys of parenthood.
Doesn't this feel like reading a story? Where does learning English fit into this? I know these questions must be raining in your mind. Let me sum it up for you in one sentence - this is a story that will take your English skills to heightened glory.
The author explains how he initially struggled with the language, often stumped by new words that he couldn't comprehend. However, with help of friends, he decides to delve deeper into this subject, and devises techniques that helped him enrich his knowledge on this matter. Manish Gupta collates these techniques and presents them in a lucid and coherent manner in English Bites!
What really clicks is the style of narration. The flow is smooth, and at times you feel that the author is there right in front of you, sharing with you his experiences that are encased in the pages. The tone is quite informal and packed with humor, and that’s what I really find effective when dealing with a serious subject. Certainly, I wouldn't have liked another monotonous drag that could have further complicated the matter, instead of simplifying it.
English is magic, and Manish performs his tricks effectively. It’s really interesting to know about the origins of several words that he has described in this book. For example, I have always believed that French Fries originated from France, but God, I was so wrong.
The interesting anecdotes and snippets keep you engaged every moment, and take you through the brilliance of the English language. The chapters are well segmented, and cover a wide array of topics, ranging from food to medical, and even nursery rhymes. However, I do feel that the author should have written a separate chapter that would have dealt with his school life. In this book, there is just a brief mention on that, and not a dedicated section to it.
I do have a complain though, and a serious one – Why didn’t Manish write this book earlier? I wish I didn’t have to wait so long to experience this delicious side of the English Language; but then, good things come to those who wait.
The tagline of the book says – “My Foolproof English Learning Formula.” I agree. I now look at the pen and notepad, and feel glad to see the innumerable new words that I had jotted down in the course of reading this book. Truly, one of the best books to increase your fluency and command over the language, as well as improve your general knowledge.
English Bites! isn’t a long discourse on word building and language strengthening; rather it is a unique methodology to build up your vocabulary and improve your verbal skill. You don’t need to wrack your brain worrying about the complexities of this language anymore. You just need to sit back, relax, with a cup of coffee, and go lazily through the pages.
And yeah, do keep a pen and notepad by your side. That’s recommended.
The book is divided into several chapters, each dealing with different phases in the author’s life. Manish Gupta starts with his school days and moves on to engineering. Once he completes it, Manish is lured by the prospect of obtaining a management degree. Through his dedication and hard work, he gets into the prestigious management institute, XLRI. When he gets settled comfortably in his job and career, the author decides to get married and as planned by destiny, meets his match. They exchange marital vows, and after a few years, Manish and Deepali, his better half, are blessed with the amazing joys of parenthood.
Doesn't this feel like reading a story? Where does learning English fit into this? I know these questions must be raining in your mind. Let me sum it up for you in one sentence - this is a story that will take your English skills to heightened glory.
The author explains how he initially struggled with the language, often stumped by new words that he couldn't comprehend. However, with help of friends, he decides to delve deeper into this subject, and devises techniques that helped him enrich his knowledge on this matter. Manish Gupta collates these techniques and presents them in a lucid and coherent manner in English Bites!
What really clicks is the style of narration. The flow is smooth, and at times you feel that the author is there right in front of you, sharing with you his experiences that are encased in the pages. The tone is quite informal and packed with humor, and that’s what I really find effective when dealing with a serious subject. Certainly, I wouldn't have liked another monotonous drag that could have further complicated the matter, instead of simplifying it.
English is magic, and Manish performs his tricks effectively. It’s really interesting to know about the origins of several words that he has described in this book. For example, I have always believed that French Fries originated from France, but God, I was so wrong.
The interesting anecdotes and snippets keep you engaged every moment, and take you through the brilliance of the English language. The chapters are well segmented, and cover a wide array of topics, ranging from food to medical, and even nursery rhymes. However, I do feel that the author should have written a separate chapter that would have dealt with his school life. In this book, there is just a brief mention on that, and not a dedicated section to it.
I do have a complain though, and a serious one – Why didn’t Manish write this book earlier? I wish I didn’t have to wait so long to experience this delicious side of the English Language; but then, good things come to those who wait.
The tagline of the book says – “My Foolproof English Learning Formula.” I agree. I now look at the pen and notepad, and feel glad to see the innumerable new words that I had jotted down in the course of reading this book. Truly, one of the best books to increase your fluency and command over the language, as well as improve your general knowledge.
August 25, 2013
English Language- My Piece of moon
Clearly I love this language. Since my early
schooling I loved English as a subject. No matter
how many classes I’ve bunked in school but
English was never on the list. I just could not let
myself bunk English classes. While I was in class
9th and 10th and yeah 11th and 12th too I used
to hate English literature. I used to tell my
teacher to make me speak on any topic she like,
give me something to write and I will do it best
way possible but, just do not make me read
literature. I hated that. I still remember what
nightmares the book Flamingo used to give me.
Even in my secondary and senior-secondary
exams I never used to study for literature part [25
marks]. I did not prepare a single word even while
my board exams. I just used to keep my focus on
other three sections. And the best part was I
never had to study for those three sections too
.
Thankfully I never scored less than 75 in my
English exams. Moving forward when it came to
college I had to opt for English Hons as my
major. I NEVER wanted it. It just happened. May
be it was destined. Till this point in my life my
speaking skills were very good. But, when it came
to writing I used to make many mistakes.
Punctuation marks and wrong sentence structure
were major among them. Time moved on and so
does my graduation. There was a lot to learn
while doing English Hons, but they did not
improve your basic mistakes. It was more about
deep study of language itself.
Today when I write this I am good with English
as a language. I am improving every moment. I
am not ashamed to accept that I still make
mistakes but, I am proud and happy that I have
improved *THIS* much in recent years. And I
continue to improve every day.
Let’s talk about the Book.
The book is a first person narration by Gupta. The
book is his own story of mastering an alien
language. The pace at which this book is been
written is amazing. The transition is smooth and
makes it a delight for any person to read this
self-help book.
English Bites has to be one of the most well
articulated book I’ve ever read. Especially when it
is a self-help book. Saying that this book is an
autobiography would not be wrong but Gupta is
not acting a narcissist here. His attempt to write
this ‘autobiography’ is wonderful.
This book takes you through a journey you would
wish does not end. At some point this book is
mesmerizing. If you love this language you would
just do not want to stop. I would not hesitate to
say that there is some magic in this book. But, to
experience that magic you first need to love the
language itself.
English Bites add a lot of words to your
vocabulary, along with interesting trivia about the
language. If you are deep in to language part you
would love the origin of words given in the book.
At times it may sound like a cumbersome task
but at the end it is surely increasing your
knowledge base to a greater extent.
The word meanings given at the footer of each
page helps you to a greater extent. You would
never need to take a look at dictionary. The book
takes your language skills to a greater level and
is a must read.
Suggestions
Learning language is always a pleasure. Enjoy
reading this book instead of reading for the heck
of it. I completed this book in a week or so but I
am surely going to give it another read once
again. This time reading one chapter a day. This
will help keeping the words in your mind and
using then in your daily conversations.
Clearly I love this language. Since my early
schooling I loved English as a subject. No matter
how many classes I’ve bunked in school but
English was never on the list. I just could not let
myself bunk English classes. While I was in class
9th and 10th and yeah 11th and 12th too I used
to hate English literature. I used to tell my
teacher to make me speak on any topic she like,
give me something to write and I will do it best
way possible but, just do not make me read
literature. I hated that. I still remember what
nightmares the book Flamingo used to give me.
Even in my secondary and senior-secondary
exams I never used to study for literature part [25
marks]. I did not prepare a single word even while
my board exams. I just used to keep my focus on
other three sections. And the best part was I
never had to study for those three sections too
.
Thankfully I never scored less than 75 in my
English exams. Moving forward when it came to
college I had to opt for English Hons as my
major. I NEVER wanted it. It just happened. May
be it was destined. Till this point in my life my
speaking skills were very good. But, when it came
to writing I used to make many mistakes.
Punctuation marks and wrong sentence structure
were major among them. Time moved on and so
does my graduation. There was a lot to learn
while doing English Hons, but they did not
improve your basic mistakes. It was more about
deep study of language itself.
Today when I write this I am good with English
as a language. I am improving every moment. I
am not ashamed to accept that I still make
mistakes but, I am proud and happy that I have
improved *THIS* much in recent years. And I
continue to improve every day.
Let’s talk about the Book.
The book is a first person narration by Gupta. The
book is his own story of mastering an alien
language. The pace at which this book is been
written is amazing. The transition is smooth and
makes it a delight for any person to read this
self-help book.
English Bites has to be one of the most well
articulated book I’ve ever read. Especially when it
is a self-help book. Saying that this book is an
autobiography would not be wrong but Gupta is
not acting a narcissist here. His attempt to write
this ‘autobiography’ is wonderful.
This book takes you through a journey you would
wish does not end. At some point this book is
mesmerizing. If you love this language you would
just do not want to stop. I would not hesitate to
say that there is some magic in this book. But, to
experience that magic you first need to love the
language itself.
English Bites add a lot of words to your
vocabulary, along with interesting trivia about the
language. If you are deep in to language part you
would love the origin of words given in the book.
At times it may sound like a cumbersome task
but at the end it is surely increasing your
knowledge base to a greater extent.
The word meanings given at the footer of each
page helps you to a greater extent. You would
never need to take a look at dictionary. The book
takes your language skills to a greater level and
is a must read.
Suggestions
Learning language is always a pleasure. Enjoy
reading this book instead of reading for the heck
of it. I completed this book in a week or so but I
am surely going to give it another read once
again. This time reading one chapter a day. This
will help keeping the words in your mind and
using then in your daily conversations.
October 3, 2013
Words are the building blocks of the realm of languages. They are little fairies born from varied forms of stardust that mate magically with a singular purpose of creating the magical intangible universe of ordered sounds that envelop us, lowly creatures, and provide for us a bridge which we tiptoe or gallop or dance or simply walk over. This bridge connects two souls, two islands, two lonely beings and helps them to smile and understand each other. Words are the air we breathe through our mouths. Sometimes, words are exhaled in unpredictable bursts that are momentary and compulsive desires to express and, therefore, extend our souls and thoughts with an omnidirectional aim of connecting, on the physical, emotional and metaphysical level, with another soul. The connection is the euphoric pinnacle of the euphonic saga that is called language.
Manish Gupta’s “English Bites!” is a book that embraces words and gives them the royal treatment that they so rightly deserve. The book is filled with interesting words that, metaphorically speaking, pop out from holes underneath the pages. They are strewn all over the book in generous doses and, therefore, help to improve the vocabulary of the reader. To facilitate learning, the meaning of the word is lucidly explained along with examples that help to assist the reader in understanding the usage of the words. Footnotes have been used liberally and they serve to enlighten the reader as he courses through words flowing through the veins of the pages. On quite a few occasions, the author has provided anecdotes and stories which have caused the creation and/or the current pronunciation of certain words. These stories coupled with his experiences in life help to add a lot of humour to the text. Each chapter is a slice from the author’s life. Humorous, candid and forthcoming, these tales about his past help in the learning experience as the reader treads along two parallel paths simultaneously, one being the stories and the anecdotes and the other being new juicy words that are marked off in bold. Light, lilting and funny, the book does not tread into mundane waters and, more importantly, it does not tend to preach. It prances along happily and occasionally throws across a wonderfully delicious word that the reader can savour at his own pace.
However, the pace of the narrative is undulating and, therefore, does not flow along harmoniously. Even though that could be attributed to the fact that the book is primarily an exercise in knowledge rather than fiction, the stories and the contexts in each chapter are quite widely separate from each other and, therefore, there are no connecting threads that can identify the book as a unified entity. Rather, each chapter is like a little island drifting along its own path which, therefore, tends to leave the reader swimming in uncharted territories. As a result, the multiple themes comingle with each other and appear to befuddle the aftertaste that lingers once the reader has completed reading the book. All in all, the book is filled with a wonderful array of words which are, in turn, supplemented with interesting trivia. It is a bold and unique attempt and if one is looking to enrich one’s vocabulary without immersing oneself in the drudgery of word lists and the bottomless pages of a dictionary, then this book should be a good return on investment.
My rating of the book is 7.5/10.
Manish Gupta’s “English Bites!” is a book that embraces words and gives them the royal treatment that they so rightly deserve. The book is filled with interesting words that, metaphorically speaking, pop out from holes underneath the pages. They are strewn all over the book in generous doses and, therefore, help to improve the vocabulary of the reader. To facilitate learning, the meaning of the word is lucidly explained along with examples that help to assist the reader in understanding the usage of the words. Footnotes have been used liberally and they serve to enlighten the reader as he courses through words flowing through the veins of the pages. On quite a few occasions, the author has provided anecdotes and stories which have caused the creation and/or the current pronunciation of certain words. These stories coupled with his experiences in life help to add a lot of humour to the text. Each chapter is a slice from the author’s life. Humorous, candid and forthcoming, these tales about his past help in the learning experience as the reader treads along two parallel paths simultaneously, one being the stories and the anecdotes and the other being new juicy words that are marked off in bold. Light, lilting and funny, the book does not tread into mundane waters and, more importantly, it does not tend to preach. It prances along happily and occasionally throws across a wonderfully delicious word that the reader can savour at his own pace.
However, the pace of the narrative is undulating and, therefore, does not flow along harmoniously. Even though that could be attributed to the fact that the book is primarily an exercise in knowledge rather than fiction, the stories and the contexts in each chapter are quite widely separate from each other and, therefore, there are no connecting threads that can identify the book as a unified entity. Rather, each chapter is like a little island drifting along its own path which, therefore, tends to leave the reader swimming in uncharted territories. As a result, the multiple themes comingle with each other and appear to befuddle the aftertaste that lingers once the reader has completed reading the book. All in all, the book is filled with a wonderful array of words which are, in turn, supplemented with interesting trivia. It is a bold and unique attempt and if one is looking to enrich one’s vocabulary without immersing oneself in the drudgery of word lists and the bottomless pages of a dictionary, then this book should be a good return on investment.
My rating of the book is 7.5/10.
April 7, 2014
Floccinaucinihilipilification. Review of ‘English Bites’
*
No, floccinaucinihilipilification isn’t the longest word in the dictionary… there are words with up to 35 letters that win the contest, though the medical fraternity, Manish Gupta will have us believe, insists on a word from their jargon as the one that wins the race hands down. But the point that I want to make is not about any contest between words but the fascination of a young boy’s attention for such words. When I was Class X, I remember having come face to face with floccinaucinihilipilification and stared at it long enough for my principal Father Tony to come to me and say, ‘Let me see what you are reading, my son.’
‘I’m reading a dictionary, father,’ I said.
He smiled and replied, ‘Aha! So you too are bitten by this word bug. Good. Words are lovely things to fall in love with.’
That love is going strong till now… and this is one reason why I loved this book by Manish Gupta. Even during those days when I was fond of walking with my miniature dictionary open in my hands, the one thing that I searched for was the history behind words. No, I didn’t have any book in my personal library that helped me… and books were not easily available in Jhansi, the small town where I come from. There was no internet and no online forums there to help me with my dilemma. So some of the first books that I bought when I started earning included ones on etymology, word origins, slang, and those that went on to explain the right usage. But they are all either like dictionaries and quite intimidating… or present their findings in a very clinical manner. If I call them siblings of text-books, I wouldn’t be very off the mark.
But here is a book in my hands that is neither a text-book nor a frivolous spoof on words. There is a serious intent to explore the origins, meanings, usages, and any other modern or new-age connotations that interesting words might have… all woven into stories, incidents, and anecdotes. There are those words that appear simple and self-explanatory and yet turn up in an unexpected avatar to surprise you… and Manish hasn’t missed any. No, this book is NOT a dictionary and is NOT a dull and dry collection of facts… the protagonist goes around talking about his battles, bouts and experiences with words that are connected. So the book has chapters where words from a similar experience hop in together… or gently lead you on to discover a different world without letting you feel that you are stepping out from a coffee house and through the kitchen where gourmet dishes are being prepared right in the midst of a gang of people where ventriloquists are smiling to baffle you with eloquent soliloquy that isn’t gibberish at all! Yes, all this happens even as we are busy sorting out the differences between an espresso, cappuccino, caffè latte, caffè breve, and mocha!
Hope you are getting a drift of what I am trying to say… no? Wait, let me add that in between meanings, origins, and usage, the author kindly offers us a peep into detailed stories connected to words… and so we travel from the Malabar coast to a Parisian café or a cafetière à piston only to be shuffled across to read all about the famous Kopi Luwak…
...read the complete review here:
http://passey.info/2014/04/floccinauc...
Arvind Passey
www.passey.info
*
No, floccinaucinihilipilification isn’t the longest word in the dictionary… there are words with up to 35 letters that win the contest, though the medical fraternity, Manish Gupta will have us believe, insists on a word from their jargon as the one that wins the race hands down. But the point that I want to make is not about any contest between words but the fascination of a young boy’s attention for such words. When I was Class X, I remember having come face to face with floccinaucinihilipilification and stared at it long enough for my principal Father Tony to come to me and say, ‘Let me see what you are reading, my son.’
‘I’m reading a dictionary, father,’ I said.
He smiled and replied, ‘Aha! So you too are bitten by this word bug. Good. Words are lovely things to fall in love with.’
That love is going strong till now… and this is one reason why I loved this book by Manish Gupta. Even during those days when I was fond of walking with my miniature dictionary open in my hands, the one thing that I searched for was the history behind words. No, I didn’t have any book in my personal library that helped me… and books were not easily available in Jhansi, the small town where I come from. There was no internet and no online forums there to help me with my dilemma. So some of the first books that I bought when I started earning included ones on etymology, word origins, slang, and those that went on to explain the right usage. But they are all either like dictionaries and quite intimidating… or present their findings in a very clinical manner. If I call them siblings of text-books, I wouldn’t be very off the mark.
But here is a book in my hands that is neither a text-book nor a frivolous spoof on words. There is a serious intent to explore the origins, meanings, usages, and any other modern or new-age connotations that interesting words might have… all woven into stories, incidents, and anecdotes. There are those words that appear simple and self-explanatory and yet turn up in an unexpected avatar to surprise you… and Manish hasn’t missed any. No, this book is NOT a dictionary and is NOT a dull and dry collection of facts… the protagonist goes around talking about his battles, bouts and experiences with words that are connected. So the book has chapters where words from a similar experience hop in together… or gently lead you on to discover a different world without letting you feel that you are stepping out from a coffee house and through the kitchen where gourmet dishes are being prepared right in the midst of a gang of people where ventriloquists are smiling to baffle you with eloquent soliloquy that isn’t gibberish at all! Yes, all this happens even as we are busy sorting out the differences between an espresso, cappuccino, caffè latte, caffè breve, and mocha!
Hope you are getting a drift of what I am trying to say… no? Wait, let me add that in between meanings, origins, and usage, the author kindly offers us a peep into detailed stories connected to words… and so we travel from the Malabar coast to a Parisian café or a cafetière à piston only to be shuffled across to read all about the famous Kopi Luwak…
...read the complete review here:
http://passey.info/2014/04/floccinauc...
Arvind Passey
www.passey.info
September 21, 2013
*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of English Bites! My 'Fullproof' English Learning Formula from author Manish Gupta in exchange for an honest review. We thank Manish for the book!
It's safe for me to say that author Manish Gupta's book, English Bites! My 'Fullproof' English Learning Formula came to me at the right time. My French Masters studies have me thinking and talking more in French than English or even my mother tongue for that matter.
My professor had once said that we pursue our higher studies in French under the impression that we have a great comprehension of the English language, which clearly isn't the case. The ever evolving, vast and widespread English language has more to it than we think and English Bites! made me realise that.
At first glance, English Bites! may seem like a reference type text for competitive exams. Well, I personally haven't referred to any such books but if this is how they actually are, then I don't mind reading them at all because this book was not only packed with interesting facts and lots of intelligence, but it's also an enjoyable and fun read.
The author speaks a lot about his own, sometimes silly and sometimes sweet, experiences while learning English and it was awesome to accompany him on his journey where we learn heaps of words and some really cool vocabulary relating to topics ranging from economics, coffee, sandwiches, doctoral terminology, educational degrees, marriage, the delivery of babies and lots more.
Some facts were so interesting that I shared them with my family to enlighten them and also to show them that I know something they don't. For example, did you know that the QANTAS in Qantas Airlines stands for Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd. and French Fries are called French Fries because the act of cutting the potatoes into finger like shapes is called frenching? This and loads more makes English Bites! a book that's packed with knowledge that's worth knowing and sharing.
If you love to know the story and facts behind anything but if you, like me, are too lazy to do research on your own, then English Bites! is the perfect book to begin with. I did feel that at certain times, especially when talking about a certain encounter or retelling a certain incident, the author abruptly stopped and moved elsewhere. But what was impressive was that the vocabulary was true to the context.
I would say that Manish Gupta's book is a great and knowledgeable contribution to the literary world.
It's safe for me to say that author Manish Gupta's book, English Bites! My 'Fullproof' English Learning Formula came to me at the right time. My French Masters studies have me thinking and talking more in French than English or even my mother tongue for that matter.
My professor had once said that we pursue our higher studies in French under the impression that we have a great comprehension of the English language, which clearly isn't the case. The ever evolving, vast and widespread English language has more to it than we think and English Bites! made me realise that.
At first glance, English Bites! may seem like a reference type text for competitive exams. Well, I personally haven't referred to any such books but if this is how they actually are, then I don't mind reading them at all because this book was not only packed with interesting facts and lots of intelligence, but it's also an enjoyable and fun read.
The author speaks a lot about his own, sometimes silly and sometimes sweet, experiences while learning English and it was awesome to accompany him on his journey where we learn heaps of words and some really cool vocabulary relating to topics ranging from economics, coffee, sandwiches, doctoral terminology, educational degrees, marriage, the delivery of babies and lots more.
Some facts were so interesting that I shared them with my family to enlighten them and also to show them that I know something they don't. For example, did you know that the QANTAS in Qantas Airlines stands for Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd. and French Fries are called French Fries because the act of cutting the potatoes into finger like shapes is called frenching? This and loads more makes English Bites! a book that's packed with knowledge that's worth knowing and sharing.
If you love to know the story and facts behind anything but if you, like me, are too lazy to do research on your own, then English Bites! is the perfect book to begin with. I did feel that at certain times, especially when talking about a certain encounter or retelling a certain incident, the author abruptly stopped and moved elsewhere. But what was impressive was that the vocabulary was true to the context.
I would say that Manish Gupta's book is a great and knowledgeable contribution to the literary world.
October 9, 2013
English Bites! is the author’s own journey with the English language. The book charts his struggles and success with English, right from his school days to college and then later to his work life as a banker. In a very interesting manner with illustrations and anecdotes, humour and wit, the book acts as a learning guide for English.
What I liked about the book is that there are footnotes explaining the meaning of the words, their origin and interesting trivia on each page. So, one is not referring to a dictionary or leafing through the supplementary material at the end of a book, frequently. Though initially, it was tough reading an interesting anecdote in the first half of the page and then reading the second half of the page which had meanings, usage and some fun facts about difficult words. But as the book progressed, I enjoyed the process of reading the story and learning new words or validating my knowledge, simultaneously.
‘Pls do read the book slowly….a chapter or two at a time’, suggested the author in one of the mails that we exchanged and I followed it religiously. And this helped to soak and absorb the new words and their meanings better. There are over 1000 new words to add to our vocabulary.
The first half of the book deals with Manish’s initial journey as he explored the various tips and tricks like mnemonics, limericks, rhymes, alliterations, and trivia to learn and remember words and their usage. It also throws light on various word plays in English language like Amphibology(ambiguous grammatical usage) isograms (words in which no letter of the alphabet appears more than once), lipograms (words containing a particular letter have been deliberately omitted), palindromes (a word, phrase that reads the same backward or forward), oxymoron (a figure of speech in which incongruous or seemingly contradictory terms appear side by side), homophones (words that sound the same but have different spellings/meanings) etc.
The focal point in the second half of the book is general knowledge with trivia that spans areas like brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.
While the first half is more engaging and has a conversational tone, the second half is a bit formal and is more of a matter of fact writing.
English Bites! is a big fat book of knowledge and learning. I believe a 200 page book would make it a breezy read, though.
English Bites! is a must read for all CAT, XAT, GRE, GMAT aspirants and all those who love examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language.
English Bites! is not a one time read but something that I would like to read and refer to, from time to time.
http://shilpaagarg.com/2013/10/englis...
What I liked about the book is that there are footnotes explaining the meaning of the words, their origin and interesting trivia on each page. So, one is not referring to a dictionary or leafing through the supplementary material at the end of a book, frequently. Though initially, it was tough reading an interesting anecdote in the first half of the page and then reading the second half of the page which had meanings, usage and some fun facts about difficult words. But as the book progressed, I enjoyed the process of reading the story and learning new words or validating my knowledge, simultaneously.
‘Pls do read the book slowly….a chapter or two at a time’, suggested the author in one of the mails that we exchanged and I followed it religiously. And this helped to soak and absorb the new words and their meanings better. There are over 1000 new words to add to our vocabulary.
The first half of the book deals with Manish’s initial journey as he explored the various tips and tricks like mnemonics, limericks, rhymes, alliterations, and trivia to learn and remember words and their usage. It also throws light on various word plays in English language like Amphibology(ambiguous grammatical usage) isograms (words in which no letter of the alphabet appears more than once), lipograms (words containing a particular letter have been deliberately omitted), palindromes (a word, phrase that reads the same backward or forward), oxymoron (a figure of speech in which incongruous or seemingly contradictory terms appear side by side), homophones (words that sound the same but have different spellings/meanings) etc.
The focal point in the second half of the book is general knowledge with trivia that spans areas like brand names, automobiles, fine dining, love, money, banks, science and B-school jargon.
While the first half is more engaging and has a conversational tone, the second half is a bit formal and is more of a matter of fact writing.
English Bites! is a big fat book of knowledge and learning. I believe a 200 page book would make it a breezy read, though.
English Bites! is a must read for all CAT, XAT, GRE, GMAT aspirants and all those who love examining the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of the English language.
English Bites! is not a one time read but something that I would like to read and refer to, from time to time.
http://shilpaagarg.com/2013/10/englis...
November 2, 2013
English Bites! is Manish Gupta’s debut book. The book’s blurb states: “Is the English language your biggest nightmare? It was Manish Gupta’s. Until he decided to cheat and beat the system. Today he is a smooth-talking banker and has written a unique English learning guide that is easy to read, super effective and hilarious. So, whether you’re a vernacular speaker, a GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT/ aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. It may even help you love the English language a little more!”
What I liked the most about the book was the unique fashion in which it is written. The author has deftly woven his life story from an engineering college to his first job to his experience in an MBA college and finally life as a banker. In between are also interspersed tales about his personal life as well including his marriage.
As with most Indians, Manish considered the English language to be his enemy. Not surprising since English is not our mother tongue; only some have learnt it as a language at school. And unless you take efforts towards learning its vocabulary, it will continue to scare you.
However, unlike most, Manish decided to tackle the language head-on. The book is a funny account of how he managed to do that successfully. The writing style is simple and presented in the form of a story but with a lot of difficult English words thrown in whose meanings are given below each page. In addition to the meanings, the author has also provided the history and origin of the words and also their usage in a sentence. Also, the range of topics covered is huge – from medical terms to Spoonerims and from the different types of coffees to Levi Strauss jeans!!!
What, however, did not work for me was the fact that the book is a little daunting to read in one go considering there are minimum 2-3 words’ meanings to be understood in each page. Since I read the book non-stop day after day, I found myself getting distracted half-way through the book. However, it might be a good idea to keep referring back to the book on an ongoing basis to get a better grasp of the words and avoid the problem I faced.
What Manish has tried to do through the book is dispel the notion that the English vocabulary is difficult and unmanageable. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book especially as I am a huge fan of the Queen’s language and am always on the lookout for books which enlighten and educate me on the same.
* I was provided a review copy of the same by the author. *
This review first appeared on my blog: www.pallosworld.blogspot.in
What I liked the most about the book was the unique fashion in which it is written. The author has deftly woven his life story from an engineering college to his first job to his experience in an MBA college and finally life as a banker. In between are also interspersed tales about his personal life as well including his marriage.
As with most Indians, Manish considered the English language to be his enemy. Not surprising since English is not our mother tongue; only some have learnt it as a language at school. And unless you take efforts towards learning its vocabulary, it will continue to scare you.
However, unlike most, Manish decided to tackle the language head-on. The book is a funny account of how he managed to do that successfully. The writing style is simple and presented in the form of a story but with a lot of difficult English words thrown in whose meanings are given below each page. In addition to the meanings, the author has also provided the history and origin of the words and also their usage in a sentence. Also, the range of topics covered is huge – from medical terms to Spoonerims and from the different types of coffees to Levi Strauss jeans!!!
What, however, did not work for me was the fact that the book is a little daunting to read in one go considering there are minimum 2-3 words’ meanings to be understood in each page. Since I read the book non-stop day after day, I found myself getting distracted half-way through the book. However, it might be a good idea to keep referring back to the book on an ongoing basis to get a better grasp of the words and avoid the problem I faced.
What Manish has tried to do through the book is dispel the notion that the English vocabulary is difficult and unmanageable. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book especially as I am a huge fan of the Queen’s language and am always on the lookout for books which enlighten and educate me on the same.
* I was provided a review copy of the same by the author. *
This review first appeared on my blog: www.pallosworld.blogspot.in
December 11, 2013
ENGLISH BITES – HAVE A BITE, TASTE THE DIFFERENCE!!!
Before reading this book, it would be good if one has a fair idea as to what this book is all about. Certainly, it is not a book that you can pick on a lazy Sunday, whereas if you are a non-native speaker of English and you look forward to having that polished edge that differentiates a good speaker and an average speaker, then look no further!
Being a guy who is born and brought up in Trivandrum, I can identify myself with Manish in the book as the narrative is quite autobiographical. Manish is magnanimous in placing himself in the narrative, mostly at the receiving end of things. His self-deprecating style is something that I latch on.
What makes this book different from other books that help you better your command over the language is here you gain new words and wisdom in an anecdotal way instead of the pedagogical style where we start a book with sincerity and after going through some pages we keep it aside and the book will start gaining dust.
It put a smile on my face when I read Manish also stumbled upon “Word Power Made Easy” by Norman Lewis. Kind of rigourous research that is being done to come up with such a gripping book that intertwines words and worldly knowledge is unfathomable. There is an undertone of humour throughout the book that keeps the interest of the reader alive right till the last page.
Interesting trivia on how finest coffee is being made, travails of a sperm, infidelity and, to crown it all, Red and White wine are something that linger in my mind even after finishing the book. The book instills a sense of confidence in the mind of a reader to speak the Queen’s English with aplomb
Thank you Manish for giving me such a long time to review your book. It seems you also somewhere understood that I am not just going through pages to write a review, instead I am wholeheartedly reading it and making your book dog-eared. I could not agree more when Manish said “even after spending last twenty years as a humble servant of the English language, I frequently get stumped by new revelations”
My only request to Manish is please come up with a book on idioms and phrases in English that would help a vernacular speaker the same way “English Bites” does.
I go with a whopping 4.5/5 for Manish Gupta's "English Bites" - have a bite, taste the difference!
A Renjith Nair review
Before reading this book, it would be good if one has a fair idea as to what this book is all about. Certainly, it is not a book that you can pick on a lazy Sunday, whereas if you are a non-native speaker of English and you look forward to having that polished edge that differentiates a good speaker and an average speaker, then look no further!
Being a guy who is born and brought up in Trivandrum, I can identify myself with Manish in the book as the narrative is quite autobiographical. Manish is magnanimous in placing himself in the narrative, mostly at the receiving end of things. His self-deprecating style is something that I latch on.
What makes this book different from other books that help you better your command over the language is here you gain new words and wisdom in an anecdotal way instead of the pedagogical style where we start a book with sincerity and after going through some pages we keep it aside and the book will start gaining dust.
It put a smile on my face when I read Manish also stumbled upon “Word Power Made Easy” by Norman Lewis. Kind of rigourous research that is being done to come up with such a gripping book that intertwines words and worldly knowledge is unfathomable. There is an undertone of humour throughout the book that keeps the interest of the reader alive right till the last page.
Interesting trivia on how finest coffee is being made, travails of a sperm, infidelity and, to crown it all, Red and White wine are something that linger in my mind even after finishing the book. The book instills a sense of confidence in the mind of a reader to speak the Queen’s English with aplomb
Thank you Manish for giving me such a long time to review your book. It seems you also somewhere understood that I am not just going through pages to write a review, instead I am wholeheartedly reading it and making your book dog-eared. I could not agree more when Manish said “even after spending last twenty years as a humble servant of the English language, I frequently get stumped by new revelations”
My only request to Manish is please come up with a book on idioms and phrases in English that would help a vernacular speaker the same way “English Bites” does.
I go with a whopping 4.5/5 for Manish Gupta's "English Bites" - have a bite, taste the difference!
A Renjith Nair review
February 22, 2017
When the author approached me with a review request for this book, my initial reaction was to say ‘no’ because the blurb gave off a non-fiction, self-help vibe. Though I pick up non-fictions from time to time, self-help books are a big no-no for me. But then someone told me that this book could be counted as memoir because the author narrates his own story – and that got me curious! Is it a self-help book, or a memoir, or a self-help book in guise of a memoir, or a memoir in guise of self-help book, which is it?
The book is divided into different chapters depending upon the different phases of the author’s journey to learn English starting right from his school days. However, his main romance with the language started when he stepped out his hometown for his Engineering Degree as that’s when he first discovered that there were two categories of people - those who can speak English and those who cannot. After his Engineering Degree, he went ahead with his ambition of having a Management Degree. Soon after, he was wooed into the corporate world where he has achieved much success. In the meantime, he also met his soul mate and thus settled looking for a happily ever-after.
The author has been blunt and humorous in his narration. And all the while he narrated his story, he made sure to include some big words (do not worry as their meanings are explained in the very same page and you do not have to run for your dictionary every time!), some similar sounding words, some trivia and enough jokes and anecdotes to keep you laughing/smiling throughout.
As a student, I was too lazy to go find a dictionary every time I came across a new word, I would simply read and re-read the sentence or the passage till the word meant something to me! I now wish all our text books were like ‘English Bites’ – a fun way to learn! I have learnt quite a few new words and while I will try and incorporate some of them in my daily conversations and my reviews, there were also certain humungous words like ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’ that I will happily spend my life without using.
In the end, this is a book that is best read one chapter a day because even though it makes learning fun, one needs time to absorb and retain it. A must read for EVERYONE…
The book is divided into different chapters depending upon the different phases of the author’s journey to learn English starting right from his school days. However, his main romance with the language started when he stepped out his hometown for his Engineering Degree as that’s when he first discovered that there were two categories of people - those who can speak English and those who cannot. After his Engineering Degree, he went ahead with his ambition of having a Management Degree. Soon after, he was wooed into the corporate world where he has achieved much success. In the meantime, he also met his soul mate and thus settled looking for a happily ever-after.
The author has been blunt and humorous in his narration. And all the while he narrated his story, he made sure to include some big words (do not worry as their meanings are explained in the very same page and you do not have to run for your dictionary every time!), some similar sounding words, some trivia and enough jokes and anecdotes to keep you laughing/smiling throughout.
As a student, I was too lazy to go find a dictionary every time I came across a new word, I would simply read and re-read the sentence or the passage till the word meant something to me! I now wish all our text books were like ‘English Bites’ – a fun way to learn! I have learnt quite a few new words and while I will try and incorporate some of them in my daily conversations and my reviews, there were also certain humungous words like ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’ that I will happily spend my life without using.
In the end, this is a book that is best read one chapter a day because even though it makes learning fun, one needs time to absorb and retain it. A must read for EVERYONE…
November 25, 2014
English Bites! My Fullproof English Learning Formula is not your run-of-the-mill fictional novel or a biography or an auto-biography. It is an honest attempt at making the English language more accessible and interesting to anyone who has difficulty learning it or who needs to brush up his/her English for competitive examinations like the GRE and GMAT.
The book serves to make English learning an interesting and exciting exercise, and not something that one is compelled to do out of sheer need. Through his own life story - starting off from his schooling in the vernacular medium and gradually charting his years of painstaking effort at mastering the language - the author has embedded difficult and commonly misunderstood words throughout the narrative and mentioned their meanings and examples in the footnotes for easy reference of the readers. He has thus invented a fun way of helping those with the least interest or perceived aptitude for English, to start taking interest and find it more and more easy and do-able as they flip through the pages. He has written the book in the form of an account and thrown in many instances and anecdotes that amuse the reader and also drive home his point in many cases.
The author has touched upon almost all the techniques and tricks that can be used to get better at the language - Mnemonics, etymological approach, relating words to anecdotes and so on. Ever so often, suitable illustrations have been added to prep up the tale a bit. The book is also a very interesting take on the idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the ever-elusive English language. He describes funny English tools, like Amphibiology (totally unrelated to amphibians or biology - it implies the ambiguous use of grammar) and a whole list of oxymorons used in everyday conversation. The author also frequently gives out English trivia that is great to know.
Many of the subjects touched upon in the book have enriched my understanding of the English language, as also my vocabulary and general knowledge. A fun and enlightening read, for sure.
The book serves to make English learning an interesting and exciting exercise, and not something that one is compelled to do out of sheer need. Through his own life story - starting off from his schooling in the vernacular medium and gradually charting his years of painstaking effort at mastering the language - the author has embedded difficult and commonly misunderstood words throughout the narrative and mentioned their meanings and examples in the footnotes for easy reference of the readers. He has thus invented a fun way of helping those with the least interest or perceived aptitude for English, to start taking interest and find it more and more easy and do-able as they flip through the pages. He has written the book in the form of an account and thrown in many instances and anecdotes that amuse the reader and also drive home his point in many cases.
The author has touched upon almost all the techniques and tricks that can be used to get better at the language - Mnemonics, etymological approach, relating words to anecdotes and so on. Ever so often, suitable illustrations have been added to prep up the tale a bit. The book is also a very interesting take on the idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the ever-elusive English language. He describes funny English tools, like Amphibiology (totally unrelated to amphibians or biology - it implies the ambiguous use of grammar) and a whole list of oxymorons used in everyday conversation. The author also frequently gives out English trivia that is great to know.
Many of the subjects touched upon in the book have enriched my understanding of the English language, as also my vocabulary and general knowledge. A fun and enlightening read, for sure.
September 16, 2013
It is not typically like a GRE/GMAT/CAT guide but aims to make the reader learn new words and improve his/her vocabulary through experiences drawn from the author's life. Each and every experience is humorously portrayed and contains difficult words with a glossary below to explain their meanings. While I can't say that I am overly fond of the footnotes as it does hamper the reading a bit, they do help you when you are stuck with the meaning of a particular word. He explains them beautifully in the footnotes with detailed explanations of the usage of the word in sentences.
The book tells us the tale of a man who was once a tongue-tied boy in his school and now a successfully English speaking banker. While he faced difficulties at first, his zeal to learn the new language will often leave you inspired. The author also suggests some good methods of learning new words by combining mnemonics and etymology to take a firm grasp of the English language. He stresses that learning by rote is never a good solution as English language is very vague and meanings change along with the usage.
While the book was a good read, the fact that the footnotes hamper your reading flow is a huge concern. The glossary is no doubt useful when there are new words to be learnt but is a major distraction otherwise. While deleting this aspect would make the book lose its charm, I would propose that the author write the story on one-page and reserve the glossary for the other. This would entitle the users to choose when to read the page and when not to thus solving the distraction problem.
This book is a must buy for anyone looking to write the competitive exams like GRE/GMAT/CAT as it is way different from the available vocabulary books like Norman Lewis. While many people have tried to write study books which are entertaining yet informative, Mr. Gupta has actually made it happen through this book.
The book tells us the tale of a man who was once a tongue-tied boy in his school and now a successfully English speaking banker. While he faced difficulties at first, his zeal to learn the new language will often leave you inspired. The author also suggests some good methods of learning new words by combining mnemonics and etymology to take a firm grasp of the English language. He stresses that learning by rote is never a good solution as English language is very vague and meanings change along with the usage.
While the book was a good read, the fact that the footnotes hamper your reading flow is a huge concern. The glossary is no doubt useful when there are new words to be learnt but is a major distraction otherwise. While deleting this aspect would make the book lose its charm, I would propose that the author write the story on one-page and reserve the glossary for the other. This would entitle the users to choose when to read the page and when not to thus solving the distraction problem.
This book is a must buy for anyone looking to write the competitive exams like GRE/GMAT/CAT as it is way different from the available vocabulary books like Norman Lewis. While many people have tried to write study books which are entertaining yet informative, Mr. Gupta has actually made it happen through this book.
May 4, 2013
English used to give me nightmares at some point of time in my life. So much that I couldn’t interact with my classmates and teachers when I was admitted to a new school because of the rule that if you speak in Hindi, you will have to pay a fine of 50 paisa per word spoken in hindi. Well, I did end up paying a lot of money as fine but it also forced me to learn the intricacies of the language. When Manish Gupta, the author contacted me to review his book English Bites and sent the blurb of the book, I thought of it as a biography of a person who had a tough time in dealing with the language and yes say to its review copy.
English Bites turned out to be something else. Very different from what I thought it would be. It is definitely one of the smartest written books that I have read so far. English Bites is about the quest of a person, the author himself to conquer the language that once used to give him nightmares. It is a kind of biography but at the same time it is a LOT more than that.
Right from his school days till the author became a banker, his love and passion for the language has increased exponentially. So much so that he has penned down an entire book that will make you love the language. English Bites will add a lot of words to your vocab, will tell you interesting trivia about the language, origin of words, their meanings and a lot more. Hilarious illustrations, anecdotes and the way things have been put up in the book give a whole new dimension to it. What I personally liked about the book is the meaning of words given at the footer of each page, at times you feel like you are reading a dictionary, but then I am sure my word bank has definitely increased after reading this book.
I strongly recommend this book if you are paranoid about English language and fumble with it. This book is an investment that you will treasure for a very long time.
English Bites turned out to be something else. Very different from what I thought it would be. It is definitely one of the smartest written books that I have read so far. English Bites is about the quest of a person, the author himself to conquer the language that once used to give him nightmares. It is a kind of biography but at the same time it is a LOT more than that.
Right from his school days till the author became a banker, his love and passion for the language has increased exponentially. So much so that he has penned down an entire book that will make you love the language. English Bites will add a lot of words to your vocab, will tell you interesting trivia about the language, origin of words, their meanings and a lot more. Hilarious illustrations, anecdotes and the way things have been put up in the book give a whole new dimension to it. What I personally liked about the book is the meaning of words given at the footer of each page, at times you feel like you are reading a dictionary, but then I am sure my word bank has definitely increased after reading this book.
I strongly recommend this book if you are paranoid about English language and fumble with it. This book is an investment that you will treasure for a very long time.
March 14, 2014
When the book claims to make the reader love the English language a little more, it is certainly proclaiming an incontrovertible truth.
The book is just as interesting as it's title suggests. It is profusely brimming with trivia, vocabulary words, mnemonics, anecdotes, all of which are designed to make the reader fall in love with English.
The authors brings all the nuances, idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the English language to the fore. And he brings them to such a vantage that commands an impeccable view of the struggle one might have in his attempt to get a command over this highly coveted language
So, this is basically what the book is about: the author's journey from a time when he used to envy convent educated boys for their fluency, to a time when he himself is a proficient orator of the English language. Tracing his journey from a time when he felt handicapped while conversing in English, he narrates his thrills and travails with so much vigor.
what is even more mesmerizing is that the book also throws light on the other aspects of a student's life, for instance, the escapades called interviews. This is what makes it an ideal companion for every student!
The best part has to be the etymology of words: learning about the derivation and hoistory of words has never been more fun, followed by mnemonics which are devised by the narrator as a part of his english-learning strategy!
The icing on the already delicious cake is read rest of the review
The book is just as interesting as it's title suggests. It is profusely brimming with trivia, vocabulary words, mnemonics, anecdotes, all of which are designed to make the reader fall in love with English.
The authors brings all the nuances, idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the English language to the fore. And he brings them to such a vantage that commands an impeccable view of the struggle one might have in his attempt to get a command over this highly coveted language
So, this is basically what the book is about: the author's journey from a time when he used to envy convent educated boys for their fluency, to a time when he himself is a proficient orator of the English language. Tracing his journey from a time when he felt handicapped while conversing in English, he narrates his thrills and travails with so much vigor.
what is even more mesmerizing is that the book also throws light on the other aspects of a student's life, for instance, the escapades called interviews. This is what makes it an ideal companion for every student!
The best part has to be the etymology of words: learning about the derivation and hoistory of words has never been more fun, followed by mnemonics which are devised by the narrator as a part of his english-learning strategy!
The icing on the already delicious cake is read rest of the review
October 17, 2013
English Bites tells about the author’s English learning experience and thankfully it’s not written in a preachy way. It’s a light read. Tells you some interesting anecdotes based on the author’s keen observation and experience (which may seem quite identifiable to beginners). Moreover you don’t have to consult dictionary because the book carries a nice dictionary in the form of footnotes. Here the author shares some interesting techniques to improve this language. Difficult / unusual) words are highlighted that makes the book easy to read. It definitely increases your vocabulary. The assignments like oxymorons and words without vowels are interesting. Woman-husband example of epigram is funny.
In this book, the author tells about his college/school life. I think, school life has many innocent, funny n touching experiences and college life has a lot of spicy, interesting, and exciting stories so, the author could have added such incidents to make this book more interesting/fun.
But, Overall, I would say its a very decent and intelligent attempt/compilation. I would suggest every one to read (And keep in the collection) this book (not in just one go necessarily as its not fiction, so you may not want to finish it in just one go). It's a 'must have' for aspiring writers. It was a good learning experience.
In this book, the author tells about his college/school life. I think, school life has many innocent, funny n touching experiences and college life has a lot of spicy, interesting, and exciting stories so, the author could have added such incidents to make this book more interesting/fun.
But, Overall, I would say its a very decent and intelligent attempt/compilation. I would suggest every one to read (And keep in the collection) this book (not in just one go necessarily as its not fiction, so you may not want to finish it in just one go). It's a 'must have' for aspiring writers. It was a good learning experience.
September 24, 2013
You can read my full review on my blog
There are scores of books written on learning the English language and I’ve read my fair share over the years but English Bites! is the first book I’ve read that talks about someone’s journey in learning English while still teaching me a lot about it. Manish Gupta takes us down the path he followed starting out in an English medium school as he tried to wrap his mind around the English language gaining a proficiency that finally resulted in a book. The book covers not only words but also tips and tricks that help learn and remember words and usage.
The book is laid out well with meanings of words either explained in the text or as foot notes. Gupta has also included illustrations and expansions that help understand concepts better.
Over all the book is well written and quite detailed. English Bites! will definitely help anyone who wants to get better in English no matter whether it’s just casual interest or a study for exams, however it will take a few reads before you make a dent in your English vocabulary. This book is going to permanently reside on my ‘pot reading shelf’. :D
There are scores of books written on learning the English language and I’ve read my fair share over the years but English Bites! is the first book I’ve read that talks about someone’s journey in learning English while still teaching me a lot about it. Manish Gupta takes us down the path he followed starting out in an English medium school as he tried to wrap his mind around the English language gaining a proficiency that finally resulted in a book. The book covers not only words but also tips and tricks that help learn and remember words and usage.
The book is laid out well with meanings of words either explained in the text or as foot notes. Gupta has also included illustrations and expansions that help understand concepts better.
Over all the book is well written and quite detailed. English Bites! will definitely help anyone who wants to get better in English no matter whether it’s just casual interest or a study for exams, however it will take a few reads before you make a dent in your English vocabulary. This book is going to permanently reside on my ‘pot reading shelf’. :D
May 6, 2013
I have always been uninterested (before reading the epilogue of the book, I’d have used ‘disinterested’ here) in non-fiction works, particularly the self-help types. That was before English Bites. Never had I thought that there could be a book of this kind. I got this book through Goodreads’ giveaway, and soon I found what a treasure it was- lecturing you about the known and unknown words and phrases and, at the same time, through a clever use of storyline and anecdotes, managing to keep the reader tempted to read.
But since one 300-page book is simply not enough for language nuts, and words like avenge-revenge, complicity-complexity, canto-cantata, doodle-doddle, deport-disport, eerie-eyrie, flotsam-jetsam, galumph-gazump, perspicacity-perspicuity, pinion-minion, venial-vernal-venal, and vintage-vantage continue to addle and befuddle us, I sincerely hope that there will be another book of this kind(like a sequel or something) by Manish Gupta, who, I am sure, will find a more enriching storyline for it.
But since one 300-page book is simply not enough for language nuts, and words like avenge-revenge, complicity-complexity, canto-cantata, doodle-doddle, deport-disport, eerie-eyrie, flotsam-jetsam, galumph-gazump, perspicacity-perspicuity, pinion-minion, venial-vernal-venal, and vintage-vantage continue to addle and befuddle us, I sincerely hope that there will be another book of this kind(like a sequel or something) by Manish Gupta, who, I am sure, will find a more enriching storyline for it.
December 13, 2013
English Learning Formula. I think this book delivers what it promises. It teaches you new words and attempts to expand your vocabulary in an interesting sort of way.
I think Mr. Manish needs to be praised and applauded for the work he has put into the book. I think it can help a lot of students if they give this a try. I loved the anecdotes, stories he shared and how through them he also introduced me to new words.
I could relate to so many things. I too had a diary where I put down the new words and their meanings. I too solved the reader's digest word games and I too used to be disappointed by my score more often than not.
I think in India we attach a lot of value to English. Its fine if you don't know Hindi, people will let it go but if your English isn't good enough, yeah well, you may very well become the laughing stock. Do I think that's wrong? Absolutely! But what can you do. Its how it is. So its important to know English and know it well.
I think Mr. Manish needs to be praised and applauded for the work he has put into the book. I think it can help a lot of students if they give this a try. I loved the anecdotes, stories he shared and how through them he also introduced me to new words.
I could relate to so many things. I too had a diary where I put down the new words and their meanings. I too solved the reader's digest word games and I too used to be disappointed by my score more often than not.
I think in India we attach a lot of value to English. Its fine if you don't know Hindi, people will let it go but if your English isn't good enough, yeah well, you may very well become the laughing stock. Do I think that's wrong? Absolutely! But what can you do. Its how it is. So its important to know English and know it well.
March 29, 2016
3.5*
A pretty good book. I unusually took a long time to complete it, blame my fluctuating interests. I read the first few chapters and the chapters towards the end with complete interest and allegiance, and found them to be really good. I really don't know if the chapters in between were as good compared to the later chapters as I wasn't completely interested in the book then while reading them. I prefer to comment on that after giving a second reading.
I believe if the author would've added the parts of speech of the words during their description it would've made my learning process a bit more robust. But nevertheless, it's a good book and is well written.
A pretty good book. I unusually took a long time to complete it, blame my fluctuating interests. I read the first few chapters and the chapters towards the end with complete interest and allegiance, and found them to be really good. I really don't know if the chapters in between were as good compared to the later chapters as I wasn't completely interested in the book then while reading them. I prefer to comment on that after giving a second reading.
I believe if the author would've added the parts of speech of the words during their description it would've made my learning process a bit more robust. But nevertheless, it's a good book and is well written.
August 16, 2013
It was fun reading 'English Bites'. I loved those short anecdotes used to describe the origin/roots of words, something which we could never really bother to know about! Like, how did the word 'restaurant' came into existence, the short story used to describe the meaning of 'banister' and many more such excerpts that I really liked. But what I liked more was the author's effort to actually take the pain of doing all that digging. I veraciously admit that now I have a voracious appetite to know about more words, meanings and their origin! :)
August 24, 2013
4.5 stars
Upon reading the blurb, I had assumed the book is about someone who came from a vernacular background and his struggle with English. What I read, was so much more! Yes, the author has spoken about it in first person, involving the reader into what he has to say, smoothly. Very well-written, good language and easy to read, English Bites! should be a handbook for anyone who wants to better his/her English.
Read more here:
http://sankshvet.blogspot.in/2013/08/...
Upon reading the blurb, I had assumed the book is about someone who came from a vernacular background and his struggle with English. What I read, was so much more! Yes, the author has spoken about it in first person, involving the reader into what he has to say, smoothly. Very well-written, good language and easy to read, English Bites! should be a handbook for anyone who wants to better his/her English.
Read more here:
http://sankshvet.blogspot.in/2013/08/...
October 3, 2013
I speak 6 languages and the one thing which I can surely say is that learning a new language is not easy, leave alone mastering it. But it isn’t impossible either. There are two ways in which you can learn any new language – classroom method and immersion method. ‘English Bites’ is a very good example of the immersion method wherein you immerse yourself in the language; you learn the language through pictures, stories, conversation etc.
Full review of English Bites on BookGeeks.in
Full review of English Bites on BookGeeks.in
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