Origins of the Specious by Patricia T O'conner

Origins of the Specious by Patricia T O'conner

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 fran ais, 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.

Patricia T. O'Conner is the author of the beloved and bestselling Woe Is I and Words Fail Me. A former editor at the New York Times Book Review, she has written for many magazines and newspapers.

Stewart Kellerman, O'Conner's co-author and husband, is also a former Times editor. He has reviewed books and written on literary subjects for the Times. They live in rural Connecticut.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780812978100
ISBN 10	0812978102
Title	Origins of the Specious
Author	Patricia T O'conner
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2010-08-24
Number of pages	288
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.