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Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English
 
 
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Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English [Hardcover]

James Cochrane (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 1, 2005
In the spirit of the bestselling Eats, Shoots & Leaves, this is an informative and highly amusing little book about bad English, full of examples of the incorrect grammar and usage that often pervades modern radio broadcasts, newspaper articles, classroom discussions and political speeches.
As the author explains, he does not take issue with the so-called "educated or uneducated" uses of the English language. Between You and I is more concerned with the particular form of English debasement we now have, which might be called the "half-educated" uses of language.

Readers may be surprised to find that much of what they thought was "bad" English is in fact perfectly good, and that what they have learned to think of as "good" English is sometimes ignorant, dishonest or just plain stupid.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Is it possible to "diagnose with a disease" (as in "She was diagnosed with cancer") or, for that matter, to receive a "free gift"? No on both counts, says Cochrane, another Brit with a sincere regard for the English language and a strong desire to correct those who mangle it. This brief, anecdotal, A-Z reference of common grammatical crimes covers mispronunciations, misuses, clichés and more. Though Cochrane welcomes the evolution of the English language, admitting change is inevitable, he argues that the preservation of the historical significance and origins of language is necessary in the formal and written word. Cochrane places blame for its consistent misuse on all individuals claiming to be educated. "Almost invariably the examples come from people who ought to know better...journalists on the 'quality' newspapers, politicians, public figures of all kinds, and, sadly, many teachers," he writes. Besides serving as a handy desktop reference, Cochrane's book, with its detailed descriptions and discrete wit, is sure to leave any reader, and even the most confident writers, with a greater appreciation of the English language.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"'The perfect guide for those who are interested in salvaging the standards of English... an enjoyable and informative read' Good Book Guide; 'Witty and provocative' Sunday Herald; 'A cool, disdainfully precise A-Z of linguistic misuse' Terence Blacker, Independent; 'A deeply-felt defence of proper English usage' Robert McCrum, Observer; 'An excellent Christmas gift' Writers' Forum" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc. (March 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402203314
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402203312
  • Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
The Art of Misusing Words April 16, 2005
Format:Hardcover
I have to admit I enjoy reading slim volumes like this that focus on language, whether it's the misuse of commonly used words or untranslatable words from another culture or when to insert commas. In the spirit of Lynne Truss's "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and Christopher Moore's "In Other Words", James Cochrane covers roughly two hundred words, phrases, and expressions that are frequently misused, mispronounced, or misspelled. In many cases, Cochrane, an editor at Penguin Books, gives real-world examples from people who really should know better: writers, journalists, broadcasters, and other public figures. Throughout, his style is light and readable. As usual with these types of books, he can come across as pedantic and prescriptive, but on the whole he gets the right tone to ingratiate the reader.

Cochrane arranges the book alphabetically, with a couple of paragraphs describing each entry and the common error attached to it. I received the most value from the sections highlighting frequently confused words. Cochrane tells the reader how to choose the correct term from pairs such as comprised and composed, discrete and discreet, flout and flaunt, who and whom, and even some you probably thought you understood like envy and jealousy. Other sections of value focus on his mission to stamp out the redundancy in expressions like free gift, ongoing situation, and at this moment in time. Another area of concern for the author is the misuse of plurals. He points out that bacterium is the singular form of bacteria, criterion of criteria, stratum of strata, phenomenon of phenomena and a new one for me, graffito for graffiti. There are some random jewels to be mined here, for example, the mistaken use of alibi to mean any excuse, rather than a plea that when the crime was committed the suspect was somewhere else; or the misuse of "epicenter" to mean simply a center, rather than the technical sense of the point on the Earth's surface immediately above the origin of an earthquake; or stating the oft-turned phrase of "a panacea for all ills" is a redundancy since a panacea is already a universal cure. Many more await the reader, and if you're like me, your paranoia will increase with what will come out of your mouth as a result. A genuinely entertaining read if not in the same league as the gold standard on such breeches, Stunk and White's "Elements of Style".
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book was easy to read and quite fun. It has lots of sayings that make you say, "Ah-ha" when you realize something you hear all the time is wrong, or at least questionable. Some of the entries have some good research and background. I think everyone would like this book because there is enough variety that every person will find some phrases they also think are barbaric and others they'll disagree with the author about (oops, ended my sentence with a preposition, I think...). So lots of debate topics available and it will make you think.

However, the book is a bit shallow; some of the reasoning and "background" on some of the phrases seems suspect; it is certainly not a rigorously researched book and by no means complete or authoritative. It reads as if it was written by someone who knows English well, has some pet peeves, and is probably right about a lot of things, but didn't put a whole lot of effort into research for the book. I found _Eats, Shoots, and Leaves_ to be even better than this book. Wittier, if nothing else. Still, this book is fun and very quick read. Worth it if you don't pay full price and definitely worth it if you can get your friends to read it so you can argue with them! :-).
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Step aside, Lynne Truss, James Cochrane has taken center stage. Going beyond the ignorant scree of Truss, Cochrane provides clear rationales for correct word usage. One bemoans his "Losr Causes," but learns much about communication in this tiny book. The USA edition employs American spelling, which is appreciated. The only flaw is that good information gets buried, because there is no index.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
literacy vs. numeracy
In the entry for "lowest common denominator," the author writes: "in mathematics the lowest common denominator is a relatively high number --the lowest common denominator of 2,3,4,... Read more
Published on December 8, 2009 by Night Biggerstaff
Good, but no "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"
Maybe I'm burned out on the genre. Technically this book is just as helpful as any other of its ilk, but I didn't find it the joy that "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" was.
Published on January 3, 2007 by Michael A. Yeakey
Fun, but disappointing
I am really disappointed (or appalled) by the fact that this guy does not appear to have any understanding of the cause of the problem he used as the title of his book! Read more
Published on July 15, 2006 by Kari Jackson
Useful, but could be easier to use
I found the book quite useful because I was guilty of quite a number of the mistakes that the author points out. Read more
Published on February 24, 2006 by Woody
between you and i
the book was good that i would like to read it again because i told my teacher about it and she want me to do a research on it
Published on August 24, 2005 by lorna luc
Another annoying book of half-truths and prejudices
Just once, I wish the people who churn out these amusing little handbooks on 'bad English' would do some basic research. Read more
Published on August 7, 2005 by Karen Davis
A lively, fun read as well as a basic primer in proper usage
Bad English isn't just about swearing and slang: it's also to be found in seemingly educated language as well as in uneducated writing: Cambridge University graduate and editor... Read more
Published on July 3, 2005 by Midwest Book Review
A lively, fun read as well as a basic primer in proper usage
Bad English isn't just about swearing and slang: it's also to be found in seemingly educated language as well as in uneducated writing: Cambridge University graduate and editor... Read more
Published on July 3, 2005 by Midwest Book Review
English grammar but American spelling.
There are some wonderful examples of bad English in this book which makes me write this with more than just a little trepidation. Read more
Published on April 20, 2005 by Chris Sullivan
Okay, but not the Best
This book has a good idea, but the examples are only fair. It would work better if the examples came from any of the major media outlet instead of what the author does use. Read more
Published on March 28, 2005 by Barry Smithee
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
abrogate, arrogate A letter about the International War Crimes Tribunal in the Guardian newspapers on April 11, 2003, stated that powerful nations had "Abrogated to themselves the decision as to whether or not to recognize it" (italics added). Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
possessive form
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lost Cause, Bad English, The New Fowler's Modern English Usage, Daily Telegraph, Republican Party
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