Author: Patricia T. O'Conner Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 1101127163 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 151
Book Description
Shrek? Earwax-flavored jelly beans? Poems about meatballs? Who on earth would use all these to explain the rules of grammar? Must be Patricia T. O'Conner! Just like Woe Is I, her national bestseller for adults, the junior version uses conversational language and witty, entertaining examples to show how fun and easy it can be to use good English. It's a humorous reference book you'll actually enjoy pulling off the shelf. Like a humorous Strunk and White for 4th through 8th graders, this is destined to become a must-have for every English classroom and student.
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks ISBN: 0812978102 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 290
Book Description
Do you cringe when a talking head pronounces “niche” as NITCH? Do you get bent out of shape when your teenager begins a sentence with “and”? Do you think British spellings are more “civilised” than the American versions? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re myth-informed. In Origins of the Specious, word mavens Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman reveal why some of grammar’s best-known “rules” aren’t—and never were—rules at all. This playfully witty, rigorously researched book sets the record straight about bogus word origins, politically correct fictions, phony français, fake acronyms, and more. Here are some shockers: “They” was once commonly used for both singular and plural, much the way “you” is today. And an eighteenth-century female grammarian, of all people, is largely responsible for the all-purpose “he.” From the Queen’s English to street slang, this eye-opening romp will be the toast of grammarphiles and the salvation of grammarphobes. Take our word for it.
Author: Gary Greenberg Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 1101621109 Category : Psychology Languages : en Pages : 359
Book Description
“Gary Greenberg has become the Dante of our psychiatric age, and the DSM-5 is his Inferno.” —Errol Morris Since its debut in 1952, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has set down the “official” view on what constitutes mental illness. Homosexuality, for instance, was a mental illness until 1973. Each revision has created controversy, but the DSM-5 has taken fire for encouraging doctors to diagnose more illnesses—and to prescribe sometimes unnecessary or harmful medications. Respected author and practicing psychotherapist Gary Greenberg embedded himself in the war that broke out over the fifth edition, and returned with an unsettling tale. Exposing the deeply flawed process behind the DSM-5’s compilation, The Book of Woe reveals how the manual turns suffering into a commodity—and made the APA its own biggest beneficiary.
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner Publisher: HMH ISBN: 0547546874 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 210
Book Description
From the bestselling author of Woe Is I: A guide to grammar fundamentals that’s sympathetic to the struggling writer and often just plain funny” (The Seattle Times). Whether you need to improve your skills for work or school, or aspire to the Great American Novel, a grounding in grammar, spelling, and punctuation is essential—not just to make you look like a professional but to communicate effectively in emails, essays, or anything you need to write. This painless, practical book is filled with short, snappy chapters, crystal-clear examples, and a “playful sense of humor” (The New York Times Book Review)—covering everything from “Pronoun Pileups” and “Verbs That Zing” to “What to Do When You’re Stuck.” With these simple, straightforward tips, you can learn how to sort your thoughts and make sentences that make sense. “Students writing papers, employees preparing reports, and those who just want to be understood in print may benefit from this fun-to-use answer to Strunk and White. O’Connor uses humor as she takes apart sentences and their parts and shows how each element is used effectively.” —Booklist
Author: Martha Brockenbrough Publisher: St. Martin's Press ISBN: 1429985429 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 280
Book Description
This book is for people who experience heartbreak over love notes with subject-verb disagreements...for anyone who's ever considered hanging up the phone on people who pepper their speech with such gems as "irregardless," "expresso," or "disorientated"...and for the earnest souls who wonder if it's "Woe is Me," or "Woe is I," or even "Woe am I." Martha Brockenbrough's Things That Make Us (Sic) is a laugh-out-loud guide to grammar and language, a snarkier American answer to Lynn Truss's runaway success, Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Brockenbrough is the founder of National Grammar Day and SPOGG -- the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar -- and as serious as she is about proper usage, her voice is funny, irreverent, and never condescending. Things That Make Us (Sic) addresses common language stumbling stones such as evil twins, clichés, jargon, and flab, and offers all the spelling tips, hints, and rules that are fit to print. It's also hugely entertaining, with letters to high-profile language abusers, including David Hasselhoff, George W. Bush, and Canada's Maple Leafs [sic], as well as a letter to --and a reply from -- Her Majesty, the Queen of England. Brockenbrough has written a unique compendium combining letters, pop culture references, handy cheat sheets, rants, and historical references that is as helpful as it is hilarious.
Author: John Reed Publisher: powerHouse Books ISBN: 9781576875407 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
True stories of totally undeserved suffering. Spectacularly depressing. Nobody gets their just deserts. Crushing defeats. No happy endings. Abject misery. Pointless, endless grief. No lessons of temperance or moderation. No saving grace. No divine intervention. No salvation. Sin, suffering, redemption. That's the movie, that's the front page news, that's the story of popular culture-of American culture. A ray of hope. A comeuppance. An all-for-the-best. Makes it easier to deal with the world's misery-to know that there's a reason behind it, that it'll always work out in the end, that people get what they deserve. The fact: sometimes people suffer for no reason. No sin, no redemption-just suffering, suffering, suffering. Tales of Woe compiles today's most awful narratives of human wretchedness. This is not Hollywood catharsis (someone overcomes something and the viewer is uplifted), this is the katharsis of Ancient Greece: you watch people suffer horribly, and then feel better about your own life. Tales of Woe tells stories of murder, accident, depravity, cruelty, and senseless unhappiness: and all true. The Tales: strange, unexpected, morbidly enticing. Told straight-with elegance, restraint, and simplicity. The design: a one-of-kind white text on black paper, fluidly readable, and coupled with fifty pages of full-color art.
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
Author: Gary Greenberg
Author: C. Edward Good
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner
Author: John Wright Hickenlooper
Author: Martha Brockenbrough
Author: John Reed
Author: Patricia T. O'Conner