Origins of the Specious : Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language (Paperback)

from glade1

This is a quick read that had some interesting information on word and phrase etymology. The authors give their advice about how best to handle some of the more "controversial" words but generally conclude that English is always changing and it is the people who are speaking and writing that ulti...

from carterchristian1

Is this a book to use or a book to read ?

from Othemts

This is a great book about all those rules about English grammar, pronunciation and etymology. Many of them are based on false premises such as 19th-century Latinists trying to make English fit the rules of Latin grammar. Others thought to be long-time steadfast rules are actually recent innovati...

from ninjapenguin

A fun book for linguaphiles, like me. Covers the origins of persistent myths about words, phrases, and grammatical rules. Written in a fun, engaging matter. The subject matter, as to be expected skips around all over the map, but that just makes it a great book for dipping into at random.

from elliezann

I was enchanted with this book and a little miffed that my English teachers didn't know English!Ms. O'Conner and Mr. Kellerman explain how common words and phrases developed different meanings over time. "Like", it's perfectly acceptable to "like" put "like" everywhere in a sentence ala Valley Gi...