The Birds and Bees of Words: A Guide to the Most Common Errors in Usage, Spelling, and Grammar [Paperback]

Mary Embree (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2007

Himbo: a male bimbo. Protire: leave a boring job to do something more interesting. Sheeple: people who follow the crowd. These are just a few of the newly evolved words discussed and explained in The Birds and Bees of Words, an entertaining, informative look at the ever-changing nature of the English language. More than 1,000 words are featured on the book’s list of new and inventive words; nearly 30,000 more words are discussed in sections including a look at word roots and how they are used in modern language; a list of words that are commonly misspelled or misunderstood; and a style guide to usage rules and how and why they can be broken. Anyone who is intrigued by language, who is fascinated by words, or who simply wants to use our language clearly and effectively will enjoy The Birds and Bees of Words.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary Embree is an author, literary consultant, editor, book doctor, and writers’ workshop leader. She is the founder of Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network (SPAWN). A former film and television writer and researcher, she lives in Ventura, California. In the 1990s she became a published author. Her first book was A Woman’s Way: The Stop-Smoking Book for Women (WRS Publishing). Shortly afterward her booklet The Stop-Smoking Diet for Women and a stop-smoking program were published by HealthEdco. She co-authored What’s in the Air: Natural and Man-made Air Pollution. Her most recent books are The Author’s Toolkit: a Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing Your Book (now in its third edition) and The Birds and Bees of Words: A Guide to the Most Common Errors in Usage, Spelling, and Grammar. Both books were published by Allworth Press and became Writer’s Digest Book Club selections. Mary is also the author of articles and word quizzes that have appeared in Writer’s Digest, The Writer magazine, and other publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158115495X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581154955
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,283,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Embree, Biographical Information

Mary Embree is an author, editor, literary consultant, and public speaker. She teaches writing workshops and edits books and doctoral dissertations. Assisting authors with their book manuscripts from first to final draft, she often helps them self-publish. If they are seeking a publisher, she shows them how to write a query letter and prepare a book proposal.
Mary has written several books including "The Author's Toolkit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing Your Book" and "The Birds and Bees of Words: A Guide to the Most Common Errors in Usage, Spelling, and Grammar." Both were published by Allworth Press and became Writer's Digest Book Club selections. The Third Edition of "Author's Toolkit" will be available in November 2010.
During the 1970s and 1980s she was a staff researcher and writer on the TV series "This is Your Life" and served as Assistant to the Producers on the hit TV sitcoms "Good Times," "One Day at a Time," and "Three's Company." She also wrote and produced a video documentary on a parolee musical band for the California Youth Authority.
Mary is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of the California Literary Arts Society (CLAS) a nonprofit organization that produces the annual Ventura Book Festival, conducts writing seminars, and publishes books by young people. Recently CLAS published a book by teenagers in Juvenile Hall who wrote about their lives before and during their incarceration. Their book is available on the CLAS website www.literaryarts-ca.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GUIDE FOR WRITING IN TODAY'S WORLD, July 8, 2008

By 

Dallas Glenn (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Birds and Bees of Words: A Guide to the Most Common Errors in Usage, Spelling, and Grammar (Paperback)

In our forgetfulness that English grammar and usage has evolved, Mary Embree makes a very common sense point when she says, "What matters, is that our meaning is clear." The Birds and the Bees of Words is an excellent reminder for those writers among us who cling to the old rules of grammar fearing ending a sentence with a preposition or dangling participle. No one can appreciate this more, than a writer whose main concern is to present their work as a pleasurable read. Most engaging, if not downright fascinating, is Embree's chapter on New Words and Phrases. Did you know the newest Eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary contains 10,000 new words and more than 100,000 new meanings? For instance, papaphobia, meaning fear of the Pope, or retrosexual, meaning a heterosexual male who does not spend a lot of time on his appearance and lifestyle, he uses tools and can fix things, he has old-fashioned graces such as opening doors for women, the opposite of metrosexual. This chapter alone is worth keeping Embree's book on my desk as a reference. I feel hip now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The crafting of legible, literate sentences is a learned skill., April 3, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Birds and Bees of Words: A Guide to the Most Common Errors in Usage, Spelling, and Grammar (Paperback)

The crafting of legible, literate sentences is a learned skill. A skill that separates the amateur from the profession, the incoherent from the competent. "The Birds And Bees Of Words: A Guide To The Most Common Errors In Usage, Spelling, And Grammar" by Mary Embree (a freelance editor, successful author of six books, and founder of the Small Publishers Artists and Writers Network) was specifically written to provide aspiring authors and practicing writers to communicate clearly and correctly through the use of the written word. A thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional guide to 21st Century American English, "The Birds And Bees Of Words" covers frequently misused words, the parts of speech, word roots, common grammar mix-ups (and how to correct them), often misspelled words, as well as brand new words and phrases. The perfect antidote to a flawed or substandard public school English Department or classroom curriculum, "The Birds And Bees Of Words" is especially recommended for school and community reference collections, as well as anyone wanting to write professionally or personally with an authority and accuracy unmarred by blunders of spelling or grammar or usage.