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Literally, the Best Language Book Ever
By turns gleefully precise and happily contrarian, this is a highly opinionated guide to better communication. In Literally, the Best Language Book Ever, author Paul Yeager attacks with a linguistic scalpel the illogical expressions and misappropriated meanings that are so commonplace and annoying in everyday conversation. Identifying hundreds of common language miscues, Yeager provides an astute look at the world of words and how we abuse them every day. For the grammar snobs looking for any port in a storm of subpar syntax, or the self-confessed rubes seeking a helping hand, this witty guide can transform even the least literate into the epitome of eloquence.
208 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 19, 2009
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But at 89 pages in, I had to stop. Even in small doses the pompousness and "stick-up-his-assednenss" of this author was too much. Any writing student I've ever had will tell you I'm pretty picky, and anyone who's heard me rant about stupid country music lyrics ("I'm the scarlet letter"? Really, Taylor Swift? You were an adulteress who became pregnant out of wedlock and was ostracized? Yes, that's so very romantic. SEE. Like that) will tell you that I overthink things sometimes. THIS guy, however, goes on for almost 200 pages about verbal things that annoy him. Sometimes, I agree (being irritated about people who say "should of" instead of "should have:). Mostly, I just want to slap him. For example, he is irritated by people who use nouns as verbs (saying "Google it" instead of "do a Google search for that" or referring to making a scrapbook as "scrapbooking"). There is an entire chapter called "You Thought You Were Clever But. . .Phrases that may have been witty the first time they were used" and dissects innocuous phrases such as "Whatever floats your boat" and "Are we having fun yet?"
I would hate--HATE--to try to have any sort of conversation with this man for fear of saying something like, "I had the worst day ever," and starting him off on a rant or "That cheesecake was to die for" and causing him to try to murder me.
Avoid this book. Just avoid it. My plan for it? To take it to my Freshman writing classes next semester and read an excerpt a day so they can see that there are, in fact, more picky people out there than I am.
I would hate--HATE--to try to have any sort of conversation with this man for fear of saying something like, "I had the worst day ever," and starting him off on a rant or "That cheesecake was to die for" and causing him to try to murder me.
Avoid this book. Just avoid it. My plan for it? To take it to my Freshman writing classes next semester and read an excerpt a day so they can see that there are, in fact, more picky people out there than I am.
May 5, 2020
Literally the most annoying language book ever.
Ok, I admit there are some words that annoy me as much as the author, one of which is the use of the adverb “literally” in every situation, exaggerating emotions in a senseless way.
However, the redundancies and repetitions mentioned in this book are part of our daily speech. This is the spoken language we’re talking about and most of the time they double the affect. We should keep a more open mind when it comes to language. It’s dynamic, fluid and ever-changing. Why be so strict or particular? We are aware of the fact that “completely” is not necessary for “finished” or “surrounded” as you can never be half finished or half surrounded but it sure creates a powerful impact (impact implies power, too so maybe I should not have used it.) ugh… This is just frustrating.
The author is allergic to figurative speech, trending expressions and exaggerations and nouns pretending to be verbs. Yes, some nouns are converted into verbs, and vice versa especially in everyday conversations. But I consider them enriching and if used often enough, they find their place in dictionaries, too. “To chair” has become quite prevalent and taken its rightful place as a verb in dictionaries. I haven’t seen anybody using architect as a verb yet as the author suggests but I find it pointless to fear these transitions. Funny though, this reminds me the phrase “Lawyered!” from How I Met Your Mother.
It feels like this book exists due to personal spite not because of informative reasons.
By the middle of the book I completely forgot what I was reading, the author must have been confused too as he went into gender jokes, in-law jokes, height jokes and culturally deep-seated phases like “Don’t try this at home” and “I Could Tell You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You“. Why am I reading about some guy’s annoyances? There’s no linguistic or grammatical value here, I am just pissed off.
This can be the worst language book ever.
Ok, I admit there are some words that annoy me as much as the author, one of which is the use of the adverb “literally” in every situation, exaggerating emotions in a senseless way.
However, the redundancies and repetitions mentioned in this book are part of our daily speech. This is the spoken language we’re talking about and most of the time they double the affect. We should keep a more open mind when it comes to language. It’s dynamic, fluid and ever-changing. Why be so strict or particular? We are aware of the fact that “completely” is not necessary for “finished” or “surrounded” as you can never be half finished or half surrounded but it sure creates a powerful impact (impact implies power, too so maybe I should not have used it.) ugh… This is just frustrating.
The author is allergic to figurative speech, trending expressions and exaggerations and nouns pretending to be verbs. Yes, some nouns are converted into verbs, and vice versa especially in everyday conversations. But I consider them enriching and if used often enough, they find their place in dictionaries, too. “To chair” has become quite prevalent and taken its rightful place as a verb in dictionaries. I haven’t seen anybody using architect as a verb yet as the author suggests but I find it pointless to fear these transitions. Funny though, this reminds me the phrase “Lawyered!” from How I Met Your Mother.
It feels like this book exists due to personal spite not because of informative reasons.
By the middle of the book I completely forgot what I was reading, the author must have been confused too as he went into gender jokes, in-law jokes, height jokes and culturally deep-seated phases like “Don’t try this at home” and “I Could Tell You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You“. Why am I reading about some guy’s annoyances? There’s no linguistic or grammatical value here, I am just pissed off.
This can be the worst language book ever.
December 25, 2008
Yeager likes to make points like, "Google is not actually a verb." Yes. We know.
Read
November 30, 2014While I would have to say that this book is not “literally the best language book ever,” but I think the author realized the joke that the title of this book represents. This book consists of many entries detailing the “annoying words and abused phrases you should never use again” which contain the word or phrase, and an entry from the author detailing why this is wrong, or redundant, or nonexistant. These entries are categorized into chapters like “Play It Again, Sam: Errors of Redundancy and Repetition” and “Verbification: Nouns Being Incorrectly Used as Verbs.” The title is particularly funny after reading the book and experiencing the casual and humored voice of the author. Reading this book is like having a conversation about those aspects of language that frustrate, annoy, and amuse us. The topic of this book, the “trite, trendy, grammatically incorrect, inane, outdated, or inappropriately formal” words and phrases that are abused on a daily basis, is one close to my heart, being the person my friends come to for editing and proofreading. I adore the connection that the author made concerning the way that our use of language is our “best opportunity to let people know who we are and what we have to offer,” and I agree that language has the power to shape the way that others see us. The author’s voice is very clear throughout this book and makes it easy and fun to read. I think that the casual and personal way that the author discusses each entry or chapter in this book provides a comfortable connection from reader to author and therefore to the book itself. The sly way that he pokes fun at those who use those words and phrases included in the book is clever and places the reader on the same “side” as the author - with people who misuse or abuse these words or phrases on the opposite side. Phrases such as “unless poor grammar is magical” made me laugh out loud, and there are many phrases such as this that further exemplify the voice of the author, another example can be found on page 43 when he is discussing the noun “plate” and how people have decided that it is a verb and notes that “if a person can plate food, then logically, he can also glass water,” another phrase which made me laugh out loud while reading this at home by myself. I think that Yeager uses voice very effectively throughout the book to present his ideas in a way that makes the reader feel comfortable facing any of the ways that they have abused or misused language in a humorous way. After reading a couple pages you start to realize the depth of our language misunderstandings and mistakes and can’t help internally taking the “side” of the author, agreeing that these are abuses of our beautiful language! Some of the chapters seem like they have some “filler” added, especially in chapter 4 (Abused and Misused: Contrived Words and Words Used Incorrectly), such as the entry for “charged” which details usage which the author notes “some may disagree” and is not based on true literal correctness. If I were Yeager’s literacy teacher I would likely try to bring his attention to the ineffective entries in this book and focus his revision more closely so that every entry is aligned with the purpose of the book. There are many parts of this book I would bring into my classroom as a learning tool! There are so many humorously and aptly described entries in this book that provide a reasoning behind the correct use of the word or phrase. I believe that this book could be highly beneficial for students focusing on revision and proofreading as a way for students to check for redundancies, inaccuracies, and misuses.
February 28, 2013
I love reading books about grammar and the English language. But sometimes (obviously) that can be a boring subject to read about. I chose this book because the title made me laugh, and I thought this would be a great chance to learn something from an author who has a great sense of irony. Instead, I read a big long tirade about how stupid people are for using words and phrases that he finds annoying. Now, when I have conversations with my friends, all I hear are the words and phrases that Yeager mocks and ridicules us all for using. And there are A LOT.
Skip this book. There are far better books on grammar out there. I'd tell you to Google them, but Yeager says we should never ever use "Google" as a verb because that's just lazy. What we SHOULD say is, "do a Google search for..." I want to say that the bottom line is this book is bad - but Yeager doesn't like it when people say "the bottom line is..." Instead, he tells us to say "in the final analysis," or "the core of the problem is..." He even says that "cool" is a just a trendy word that needs to stop being used, because it doesn't make any sense unless we are talking about temperature. Whatever, that is literally so not cool.
Skip this book. There are far better books on grammar out there. I'd tell you to Google them, but Yeager says we should never ever use "Google" as a verb because that's just lazy. What we SHOULD say is, "do a Google search for..." I want to say that the bottom line is this book is bad - but Yeager doesn't like it when people say "the bottom line is..." Instead, he tells us to say "in the final analysis," or "the core of the problem is..." He even says that "cool" is a just a trendy word that needs to stop being used, because it doesn't make any sense unless we are talking about temperature. Whatever, that is literally so not cool.
July 31, 2016
The first two chapters were great - grammar errors and errors of redundancy and repetition. After that, well, "it's all downhill from there" - see Paul, I used one of your many pet peeves as a figure of speech to describe your book!
It is just a collection of expressions that bother the author, sometimes for no great reason - too often used, not accurate enough, too outdated, too trendy and of the moment... he especially dislikes everything to do with business, but often because business is dirty and focused on money.
In the spirit of the book, I wanted to be accurate and if two stars on GoodReads means "it was ok", I couldn't in good faith use it. So there we are. One accurate star.
It is just a collection of expressions that bother the author, sometimes for no great reason - too often used, not accurate enough, too outdated, too trendy and of the moment... he especially dislikes everything to do with business, but often because business is dirty and focused on money.
In the spirit of the book, I wanted to be accurate and if two stars on GoodReads means "it was ok", I couldn't in good faith use it. So there we are. One accurate star.
March 22, 2010
This book should be a painful but fun read for students of the English language and writers and copy editors in particular. There are many words and phrases mentioned in the book that are major headache-inducers for me. The misuse of "literally" and the subsequent erosion of the wonderful distinction in English between literal and metaphorical statements are actions that cause me anguish. I wish writers and broadcasters who don't know what these two words mean would not use the words.
The second most aggravating word for me is "like." Listening to conversations on BART or at restaurants, I hear many (usually young) people sprinkle "like" into sentences with oblivious abandon, occasionally three "likes" in one sentence. Like, stop it, or I'll pummel you.
Other words and phrases in the book that grate on my nerves are "free gift" used in advertising, overuse of "empower," "I could care less," overuse of "cool" as all-purpose adjective, and the use of "issue" when talking about a "problem."
What I didn't see in the book were these peeves of mine: the overuse of "sort of" and "kind of" in every sentence (can't anyone utter a simple declarative sentence any more?); redundant use of "relatively" ("It is relatively cold today"); indiscriminate use of "forever" ("The accident changed him forever" "The store will close its doors forever"); the abomination of "pre-owned" cars; and the redundant use of "process" ("voting process," "grieving process," "election process").
There is something in this book to offend everyone.
The second most aggravating word for me is "like." Listening to conversations on BART or at restaurants, I hear many (usually young) people sprinkle "like" into sentences with oblivious abandon, occasionally three "likes" in one sentence. Like, stop it, or I'll pummel you.
Other words and phrases in the book that grate on my nerves are "free gift" used in advertising, overuse of "empower," "I could care less," overuse of "cool" as all-purpose adjective, and the use of "issue" when talking about a "problem."
What I didn't see in the book were these peeves of mine: the overuse of "sort of" and "kind of" in every sentence (can't anyone utter a simple declarative sentence any more?); redundant use of "relatively" ("It is relatively cold today"); indiscriminate use of "forever" ("The accident changed him forever" "The store will close its doors forever"); the abomination of "pre-owned" cars; and the redundant use of "process" ("voting process," "grieving process," "election process").
There is something in this book to offend everyone.
December 4, 2017
This is a very opinionated book, and although the author is very much aware that he is opinionated, it is something the reader should be aware of when picking up this book. I was curious, as a writer, to have certain incorrect phrases pointed out (like "centers around" vs. "centers on", or double prepositions and weasel words). But the author's reasonings behind his gripes were often nonsensical and, I think, a little too restrictive. If he doesn't like "ginormous" on the grounds that it's a portmanteau word, how does he feel about "chortle," which is also a portmanteau that made its way into general usage? Or any other neologism, for that matter? His test for whether a word is a "real word" or not means going to the oldest dictionary he has (from the 1950s) and seeing if the word exists in that edition. He is also not a fan of old cliches but doesn't seem to have the linguistic flair to create new ones.
Admitting that one is a grammar snob, and writing this book from that standpoint, does not make grammar snobbery any more palatable.
Personally, I would recommend this book for people who already have a firm grasp of grammar and who can approach this book with a grain of salt.
Admitting that one is a grammar snob, and writing this book from that standpoint, does not make grammar snobbery any more palatable.
Personally, I would recommend this book for people who already have a firm grasp of grammar and who can approach this book with a grain of salt.
April 27, 2015
Paul Yeager wrote a book about language. I don't know what his credentials are in that (mine) field and the book might be very personal, but I'm judging as I would any other position. The verdict is, it sucks.
I don't know what circle of society the author revolves around but to my astonishment I've never heard half of the expressions he finds so annoying. The other part of his bitching comes out snobby with a 'I've got head up my ass' label. Does the author have *any* idea what the language is for? It's too communicate and to be understood. The language evolves and as long as you send a message and get a response it doesn't matter if you use Queen's English or ghetto slang. Language is merely a tool, so use it and have some fun! I won't mind as long as you don't abuse grammar, which is a huge no-no.
The constant complaining about unnecessary emphasis, exaggerations, and phrases author didn't understood in the first place but complained about anyway, didn't bother me half as much as the constant use of italics in the book. Literally, the Best Language Book Ever was a monologue when it should've been a dialogue.
I don't know what circle of society the author revolves around but to my astonishment I've never heard half of the expressions he finds so annoying. The other part of his bitching comes out snobby with a 'I've got head up my ass' label. Does the author have *any* idea what the language is for? It's too communicate and to be understood. The language evolves and as long as you send a message and get a response it doesn't matter if you use Queen's English or ghetto slang. Language is merely a tool, so use it and have some fun! I won't mind as long as you don't abuse grammar, which is a huge no-no.
The constant complaining about unnecessary emphasis, exaggerations, and phrases author didn't understood in the first place but complained about anyway, didn't bother me half as much as the constant use of italics in the book. Literally, the Best Language Book Ever was a monologue when it should've been a dialogue.
May 15, 2010
I received this book as a gift because I'm pretty vocal about my hatred for misuse of the word "literally." The author chose a great title to peak the interest of intelligent people who are not fond of the widespread butchering of the English language. However, there are only about two pages of worthwhile material in this whole book. The rest of it is the longest list of an author's personal pet peeves ever. Literally.
May 27, 2022
Honestly, it should be called the most annoying language book ever. He is very upfront about not being a language expert, but he still makes blanket pronouncements that are just wrong. (Like saying that a certain word has only ever meant this one thing, when off the top of my head, I can think of several other uses for it. And that doesn't even begin to cover past historical uses. Did you even look it up in a dictionary?) And while some of the things he discusses are actual grammar errors that people make, the majority of the book consists of words and phrases that he deems annoying or overused. And yes, he's certainly entitled to his opinion, but this seems overboard. Some of the phrases he calls out I have never heard used, not even once, and others are legitimate phrases that work well in new situations. I'm not actually a big fan of progressive language, but new situation do call for new words and phrases to describe them. It's rare for me to rate or review a book I haven't completely finished (or give 1 star), but I just couldn't take this one anymore.
June 11, 2021
Mr. Yeager considers himself a language expert. As a writer and meteorologist, he’s honed his usage of the English tongue to a razor’s edge. His wife is also a language and grammar expert and they came up with a plethora of words and phrases they considered misused, abused, confused or should not exist at all.
The Yeagers dig ruthlessly at pleonasms, oxymorons, trite and nonsensical phrases the way Siskel and Ebert used to dissect films. I’m sure you’ll find a pet peeve or more within these pages and consider the awfulness of commonplace words you’ve taken for granted or willfully ignored.
This book is informative, probing and scathing in its disapproval for sloppy, lazy speech—indicative of the Yeagers themselves, if the husband is to be believed. But it makes him come across as prissily disapproving, engendering the annoyance others feel when someone else relentlessly corrects their grammar. If they ever invite you to dinner, you’ve been, like, totally warned. Okay?
The Yeagers dig ruthlessly at pleonasms, oxymorons, trite and nonsensical phrases the way Siskel and Ebert used to dissect films. I’m sure you’ll find a pet peeve or more within these pages and consider the awfulness of commonplace words you’ve taken for granted or willfully ignored.
This book is informative, probing and scathing in its disapproval for sloppy, lazy speech—indicative of the Yeagers themselves, if the husband is to be believed. But it makes him come across as prissily disapproving, engendering the annoyance others feel when someone else relentlessly corrects their grammar. If they ever invite you to dinner, you’ve been, like, totally warned. Okay?
June 15, 2018
The author is definitely a language purist. Most of the words and sayings he doesn't like are common slang. I'm glad he included "Irregardless" (not a real word/double negative). However, I disagree with his dislike of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"; the whole point of the phrase is that someone is trying to fix something that isn't broken. Not all of language is meant to be literal. And speaking of literal, according to the author, I am the only person who uses "I could be wrong but" correctly. He says it has never been used by anyone who thinks they might actually be wrong. I use the phrase literally and always say it when I'm not completely sure if I'm right.
October 11, 2018
There were parts of it I liked, but a lot of seemed really petty. Some of the reasons he doesn't like certain words and phrases are not real reasons people actually use them. That doesn't happen enough to think they're constantly being abused. I am someone with many grammar pet peeves, but his seem ridiculous.
September 6, 2019
Abominable piece of crap written by an ignorant, wrong-headed dunce. Errors in almost every single entry. Disastrously stupid. For shame, Penguin Books.
April 22, 2022
Totally pompous, self-aggrandizing, not sensed of humor write. Big disappointment.
July 27, 2024
Hard to imagine anyone ever thought the best approach to delivering this information was to be absolutely humorless. Talk about not knowing your audience.
December 11, 2012
All you need to know about this book may be found on page 171 (a little late; thanks a bunch, buddy): "I lumped these [questionable phrases] into my personal pet peeves category . . . I stole . . . some of my wife's pet peeves as well. What can I say? We're both easily annoyed, and we like to talk about it. Think twice if you get a dinner invitation."
Does it sound like fun to spend time with this author, either by reading his book or in person? Yeah, I'd skip both too. I read the whole thing just to give it a fair shake, but I was completely prejudiced against this literary equivalent of an old guy bellowing "Get off of my lawn!" when I saw the arbitrary direction it was taking. This book consists of his personal pet peeves, only some of them researched (e.g., from p. 151: "Knock on wood: Am I the only person who has no idea of the origin of this phrase, what it means, or why we keep saying it?" Well, golly, here you go; now you're no longer ignorant of its origin and meaning, and it only took me a second to do a search on Yahoo. You're welcome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocking...).
If someone sets out to write a book criticizing the use of language, his or her own language use had better be impeccable. No such luck here. The unrelenting use of the unspecific (and inaccurately accusatory) editorial we (e.g., from p. 124, "If we're honest with ourselves, we each probably have five or six truly monumental decisions in our lives; however, we throw the phrase around five or six times per week." Really? "WE" do? Because I do not, and I roll my eyes at being accused like that), the consistent use of "in order" when it is not needed, and (my own arbitrary pet peeve) the use of "since" when "because" is meant (I acknowledge that it's doable, but if your aim is crystal clarity, as the author's is here, walk the walk and say what you mean).
There's so much to get into here, but it's not worth the additional time. Read at your own risk of annoyance.
Does it sound like fun to spend time with this author, either by reading his book or in person? Yeah, I'd skip both too. I read the whole thing just to give it a fair shake, but I was completely prejudiced against this literary equivalent of an old guy bellowing "Get off of my lawn!" when I saw the arbitrary direction it was taking. This book consists of his personal pet peeves, only some of them researched (e.g., from p. 151: "Knock on wood: Am I the only person who has no idea of the origin of this phrase, what it means, or why we keep saying it?" Well, golly, here you go; now you're no longer ignorant of its origin and meaning, and it only took me a second to do a search on Yahoo. You're welcome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocking...).
If someone sets out to write a book criticizing the use of language, his or her own language use had better be impeccable. No such luck here. The unrelenting use of the unspecific (and inaccurately accusatory) editorial we (e.g., from p. 124, "If we're honest with ourselves, we each probably have five or six truly monumental decisions in our lives; however, we throw the phrase around five or six times per week." Really? "WE" do? Because I do not, and I roll my eyes at being accused like that), the consistent use of "in order" when it is not needed, and (my own arbitrary pet peeve) the use of "since" when "because" is meant (I acknowledge that it's doable, but if your aim is crystal clarity, as the author's is here, walk the walk and say what you mean).
There's so much to get into here, but it's not worth the additional time. Read at your own risk of annoyance.
January 22, 2012
I reserved this book from the library with plans to leave it on the coffee table over Christmas for everyone to dip into and enjoy; it's just that type of book.
Sadly I didn't get it in time, but I enjoyed it just the same.
Yeager has divided his book into chapters, some of which include: Illogical Words and Phrases, Excessively Trendy Words and Expressions, Inarticulate Language and more.
I was shocked to find that I was guilty of committing one of his offences in the very first chapter, Grammar Errors. I didn't know this, but firstly, secondly and lastly is poor grammar, as first, second, and last are already adverbs and therefore don't need the additional -ly added. I've always done this, and I'll probably forget this rule and do it again. And this was only on page 3!
However; after this chapter I laughed at the cliches and phrases, buzz words and double speak that irritate the author, and found myself wanting to read out every second entry to whoever was near. At the end the author also included the phrases that annoy and irritate his wife which was amusing.
Literally the Best Language Book Ever - Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again is a great book to share with others, with short sharp entries, a sense of humour and a light approach.
Highly Recommended.
Sadly I didn't get it in time, but I enjoyed it just the same.
Yeager has divided his book into chapters, some of which include: Illogical Words and Phrases, Excessively Trendy Words and Expressions, Inarticulate Language and more.
I was shocked to find that I was guilty of committing one of his offences in the very first chapter, Grammar Errors. I didn't know this, but firstly, secondly and lastly is poor grammar, as first, second, and last are already adverbs and therefore don't need the additional -ly added. I've always done this, and I'll probably forget this rule and do it again. And this was only on page 3!
However; after this chapter I laughed at the cliches and phrases, buzz words and double speak that irritate the author, and found myself wanting to read out every second entry to whoever was near. At the end the author also included the phrases that annoy and irritate his wife which was amusing.
Literally the Best Language Book Ever - Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again is a great book to share with others, with short sharp entries, a sense of humour and a light approach.
Highly Recommended.
February 3, 2009
my friends gave me this book, because i like grammar and have a bad habit of correcting people. the book gets two stars, because the first two chapters dealt with actual grammar mistakes, and i learned a few things. the author also included some of my pet peeves, such as the use of "should of".
HOWEVER, the rest of the book deals with the author's personal peeves... just things he doesn't like, which seems to be everything! i don't know how paul yeager talks to anyone, because he must be constantly pissed off. for instance, he doesn't like "i'm glad to hear that" (insincere), "whatever floats your boat" (not clever), "raise the bar" (he hates sports metaphors), and "i'm proud of you" (it's condescending). clearly, the author is an uptight nerd, who needs to "chill out"(reminds him too much "of a night at the morgue").
HOWEVER, the rest of the book deals with the author's personal peeves... just things he doesn't like, which seems to be everything! i don't know how paul yeager talks to anyone, because he must be constantly pissed off. for instance, he doesn't like "i'm glad to hear that" (insincere), "whatever floats your boat" (not clever), "raise the bar" (he hates sports metaphors), and "i'm proud of you" (it's condescending). clearly, the author is an uptight nerd, who needs to "chill out"(reminds him too much "of a night at the morgue").
August 27, 2008
Would recommend: Maybe, for skimming
I thought I would really love this book, but then I read the introduction and realized that the author is the managing editor of the illustrious publication, Accuweather.com. Uh, what?
It's not to say that Paul Yeager is not knowledgeable, and he makes a valiant effort at explaining the subjunctive tense, but if we were to follow the edicts of this book, we would never speak in figures of speech, employ trendy phrases, or be even the slightest bit lax in our spoken language. His overall message of being precise, intentional, and creative in language gets lost in a sea of snark and unnecessary points of emphasis, which is a shame.
Oh, and I found a typo. Interpret that as you will.
I thought I would really love this book, but then I read the introduction and realized that the author is the managing editor of the illustrious publication, Accuweather.com. Uh, what?
It's not to say that Paul Yeager is not knowledgeable, and he makes a valiant effort at explaining the subjunctive tense, but if we were to follow the edicts of this book, we would never speak in figures of speech, employ trendy phrases, or be even the slightest bit lax in our spoken language. His overall message of being precise, intentional, and creative in language gets lost in a sea of snark and unnecessary points of emphasis, which is a shame.
Oh, and I found a typo. Interpret that as you will.
January 25, 2009
Mr. Yeager has compiled a useful, comprehensive list of noxious abuses of the English languages, both grammatical and not, specializing appropriately in the pompous phrasing of soulless business 'droids. Nonetheless, while he carefully points out exactly what is wrong with every offending word and phrase, he completely neglects his duty to ridicule and demean the sheer inanity of such atrocities. Consequently, I found this book an incredible letdown. I'd have given it a low 2-star rating, except that the author earns an entire extra star for pointing out just how insulting it is to say "I'm proud of you!" to a peer, thus giving voice to something I'd felt internally for many years, but couldn't quite explain why.
April 19, 2009
this was a fun book for the most part; however the author was a tad smug, and reading it cover to cover, it got old...but glancing through it and reading the same grammar problems in speech and writing that bug me also, the premise is fun (for grammar snobs, that is). most of the book is the author's personal reasons for not liking particular words, phrases, idioms, and cliches. he doesn't like slang of any type, however, and a fair portion of the book is dedicated to slang terms he doesn't like. that's where it got a tad high-brow.
March 2, 2009
Can the pet peeves of a prescriptive grammarian (actually, a former meteorologist!) be hilarious, edifying, and informative all at the same time? Judging by this softcover wonder, I say yes. Unfortunately, I use the bulk of the examples he skewers from cover to cover, but hey, recognizing the problem is half the battle. His frequent refrain-- that certain groups of letters we use are non-words, or invented words--always raises a chuckle, as do his sensible means of expressing the same ideas as our trite knee-jerk phrases using normal English. Who'd've thunk it?
November 21, 2012
I love language books, and this one was a delight. Of course, it's all based on the author's opinions, and wow, is he ever opinionated! Yeager is not a grammarian or even an English professor; he's a meteorologist. That's okay, though, because he doesn't need to be a language expert to know what words and phrases irritate him. The book was arranged well, and it was lots of fun to read in sections. I'll admit that I often use some of the words and sayings which annoy him, and I'm trying to use a few of them less often. We'll see if I have any success in that endeavor. :)
May 24, 2008
This book is half humorous and half infuriating. There are lots of annoying phrases and words in here, but there are also lots of nit-picking. The guy is in the tradition of the Acadamie Francaise that wants to cement language forever, but it's a dynamic thing that can and must change - the author doesn't seem to get that. And his biggest sin was including "Are We Having Fun Yet?" while being totally clueless that it was coined by Bill Griffith in Zippy.
February 23, 2009
How do I get my shit list published in paperback form? That's all this book amounted to--a list of the author's, and his wife's grammatical pet peeves, in alphabetical order with a paragraph or two of commentary each. (Can you imagine how tiresome their cocktail parties must be? Oy.) If you're going to try to pull that off, you need to add a humorous, or at least unique, spin. This book is nothing that can't be found on any website where two or three self-styled intellectuals gather.
July 23, 2015
Literally, the most pedantic language screed ever. Should have been funny, instead was oddly picky. It's one thing to joke about misuse of words like literally (a long-standing pet peeve of mine), but quite another to pick on perfectly valid English-language expressions that simply annoy the author.
I'll continue to say, "like a needle in a haystack," whenever I want to, thanks. It is what it is.
I'll continue to say, "like a needle in a haystack," whenever I want to, thanks. It is what it is.
December 5, 2008
I wanted to like this book, but the other's attempts at humor fell flat and I've read English Grammar texts that explained verb tense in a more entertaining way. While it does have some handy reminders about some often incorrectly used parts of the language, it's not saying anything in a new or interesting way.
February 22, 2009
Not really worth the read. I saw this at Kristy's and was excited to read it. I picked it up and was very disappointed. I thought it would be funny and a great read but alas, it was dry and badly written. Really, it is just the author's feelings on different phrases and as Kristy said, you feel like he is talking down to you the whole book.
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