You?ve been dying to know: How did punctuation get started? (Monks did it.) Where did ?nerds? come from? (Dr. Seuss.) And what exactly is a checkered past? (A 14th-century French allusion to snowy white and shadowy black chessboard squares.) Language lover and English expert Michael J. Sheehan answers these and hundreds more questions in the new book, ?Words to the Wise: A Lighthearted Look at the English Language.? In it, you?ll discover whether a rebuke is worse than a reproof (yes), how SPAM got its name (SPiced HAm) and ...
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You?ve been dying to know: How did punctuation get started? (Monks did it.) Where did ?nerds? come from? (Dr. Seuss.) And what exactly is a checkered past? (A 14th-century French allusion to snowy white and shadowy black chessboard squares.) Language lover and English expert Michael J. Sheehan answers these and hundreds more questions in the new book, ?Words to the Wise: A Lighthearted Look at the English Language.? In it, you?ll discover whether a rebuke is worse than a reproof (yes), how SPAM got its name (SPiced HAm) and the most popular town name in the United States (Fairview). And did Jimi Hendrix really sing, ?Excuse me while I kiss this guy Nope. It's just another mondegreen, or misheard song lyric. The bright and brainy ?Words to the Wise? is a compilation of questions and answers from Sheehan's weekly call-in radio program. Sheehan answers listeners? questions about word origin, spelling, grammar and punctuation with his trademark droll humor, clarity and good-hearted precision. He explains how history has shaped the English language, and he supplies easy-to-grasp writing tips. ?Michael Sheehan is the English teacher you wish you had had, ? writes best-selling author Richard Lederer in the book's foreword.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
