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This dictionary provides the user with the basic vocabulary used in business in both British and American English. The dictionary contains words and phrases which cover all aspects of business life from the office to the Stock Exchange and international trade fairs. It is designed for anyone who needs to check the meaning or pronunciation of a business term, but especially for those for whom English is an additional language. Each entry is explained...
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This updated 2018 Classic Edition contains the original version of William Strunk's The Elements of Style, plus a variety of enhancements that make this book even more useful. It is now being used as a textbook in classes at University of Minnesota, University of Texas, UC Berkeley, and elsewhere. Generations of college students and writers have learned the basics of English grammar from this short book. It was rated "one of the 100 most influential...
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"An entertaining and illuminating collection of weird, wonderful, and downright baffling words from the origins of English--and what they reveal about the lives of the earliest English speakers. Old English is the language you think you know until you actually hear or see it. Unlike Shakespearean English or even Chaucer's Middle English, Old English--the language of Beowulf--defies comprehension by untrained modern readers. Used throughout much of...
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In this unique new history of the world's most ubiquitous language, linguistics expert David Crystal draws on words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences, and events that have helped to shape our vernacular since the first definitively English word was written down in the fifth century ("roe," in case you are wondering). Featuring Latinate and Celtic words, weasel words and nonce-words, ancient words ("loaf") to cutting-edge...
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"Delightful, enlightening . . . The twisty history of the hybrid divider perfectly embodies the transience of language." —Vulture
The semicolon. Stephen King, Hemingway, Vonnegut, and Orwell detest it. Herman Melville, Henry James, and Rebecca Solnit love it. But why? When is it effective? Have we been misusing it? Should we even care?
In Semicolon, Cecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation...
The semicolon. Stephen King, Hemingway, Vonnegut, and Orwell detest it. Herman Melville, Henry James, and Rebecca Solnit love it. But why? When is it effective? Have we been misusing it? Should we even care?
In Semicolon, Cecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation...
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"An enlightening linguistic journey through a thousand years of feminist language--and what we can learn from the vivid vocabulary that English once had for women's bodies, experiences, and sexuality. So many of the words that we use to chronicle women's lives feel awkward or alien. Medical terms are scrupulously accurate but antiseptic. Slang and obscenities have shock value, yet they perpetuate taboos. Where are the plain, honest words for women's...
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Word Histories and Mysteries provides a panoramic view of the unique richness of English, uncovering the origins of five hundred everyday words whose surprising and often amusing stories offer insights into the history of humankind. Arranged in convenient alphabetical order, the notes are written in a lively and entertaining style perfect for browsing. The reader can learn how some of the most recent words, such as the computer term wiki, were coined,...
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The Bloomsbury Thesaurus provides a complete guide to the English language. Full of synonyms, alternatives, a fascinating network of cross-references, this edition includes the most recent terms and expressions - from Britpop to bit map - reflecting both technical and day-to-day aspects of Modern English. It is designed to appeal to both established word-reference enthusiasts and younger users who are just beginning to explore the language.
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In short, delightful essays, Metcalf explicates the key features that make American speech so expressive and distinct. He begins in the South, home of the most easily recognized of American dialects, travels north to New England, then on to the Midwest, the far West, and even to Alaska and Hawaii. It's all here, the northern Midwest "Fargo" accent, Louisiana Cajun and New Orleans Yat, dropped R's as in Boston's "Hahvahd Yahd," and intrusive R's as...
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In his Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk, Hugh Rawson explains, in clear language, what it means when we talk of an unusual occurrence, a crew transfer container, or Montezuma's revenge. If you have ever been baffled by the expression culturally deprived, or want to know where the phrase deep-six comes from, then this book will certainly be of service.
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"Clear definitions of hundreds of new words and slang terms - from green-inker to manny to wiki - to help you use them with ease. Leading thinkers and professionals in their fields explain complex ideas: Richard Dawkins on evolution, Evan Davis on free trade, Helena Kennedy QC on liberty. Authoritative and expert word histories tracing words back hundreds of years, from codswallop to ghastly. Foolproof guidance on how to use words correctly: less...
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The third edition of this standard reference book lists in one alphabetical sequence foreign phrases, proverbs, maxims and abbreviations frequently used in written and spoken English. An index of phrases by language follows the main alphabetical list. The completely revised and updated third edition has been enlarged by the addition of pronunciation guides, by more than 500 new entries, and by the inclusion of sources of many expressions. For those...
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The author of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk here presents us with the other side of the coin, Wicked Words, in which he pulls no punches in bringing us to the very cliff-edge of the English language. He covers everything from fart to flibbertigibbit, while always keeping careful watch for flimflam. Hugh Rawson combines a sound history of language with countless tales - find out what became of William Colyngburne for his use of the word hog, or...
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Developed as part of the Collins Education + Leisure stream, this dictionary is designed for all those studying Welsh, whether at school or at home. It is the ideal text for anyone who needs a wealth of reliable information. The Collins Spurrell Welsh Express Dictionary offers the user detailed coverage of current Welsh and English, with thousands of phrases and examples. It also contains helpful supplements on the pronunciation of Welsh and on Welsh...