Publisher Description

More than 100 vocabulary-building quizzes make up the core of the book, with shorter sections on:



* The fascinating origins of words

* Quotes and misquotes

* Slang, dialects and secret languages

* Unforgettable Adverts, Famous Lines from Novels and Movies

* Newspeak, Basic English, spelling reform

* Malapropisms, politicians' blunders and 'mispeakings'

* Mnemonics and other memory joggers

* Palindromes and anagrams

* Semaphore. Morse, tic-tac, hand gestures and other ways of speaking without words



Entry after entry explores the byways, oddities and curiosities of the English language.

Notes

A miscellany of words, this is a fun-packed guide to enjoying the English language and using it more effectively. With more than 100 vocabulary-building quizzes, and a range of shorter sections on origins, quotes, slang, famous lines, spelling reform, malapropisms, mnemonics, palindromes, codes and more!

Flap

A fun-packed guide to building a fuller, more powerful and more persuasive vocabulary If you've ever been stuck for words or had to cope with the frustrations of chasing a word that is on the tip of your tongue, help is now at hand. This strikingly new concept in vocabulary-building offers almost 100 quizzes that are fun to do and could turn you into a master of the spoken the word. If you enjoy doing crosswords you will warm to the crossword-style clues in the What's the Word quizzes, with answers and usage examples that will help to fix the newly acquired words firmly in your mind. Interleaved between the quizzes are fascinating entries that explore the byways, oddities and curiosities of the English language. For example, you'll discover:

Author Biography

The book's joint authors are veteran wordsmiths, having both spent their careers using words to reach audiences numbered in their millions. Robin Hosie as Editorial Director of Reader's Digest Books, and Vic Mayhew as one-time editor of the entire Mirror Group.

Long Description

More than 100 vocabulary-building quizzes make up the core of the book, with shorter sections on: * The fascinating origins of words * Quotes and misquotes* Slang, dialects and secret languages * Unforgettable Adverts, Famous Lines from Novels and Movies* Newspeak, Basic English, spelling reform* Malapropisms, politicians' blunders and 'mispeakings'* Mnemonics and other memory joggers* Palindromes and anagrams * Semaphore. Morse, tic-tac, hand gestures and other ways of speaking without wordsEntry after entry explores the byways, oddities and curiosities of the English language.

Promotional "Headline"

The ultimate miscellany of words, this is a fun-packed guide to enjoying words and using them more effectively.

Details