The Bride of Anguished English: A Bonanza of Bloopers, Blunders, Botches, and Boo-Boos [Paperback]

Richard Lederer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 2002

Fans of Richard Lederer's Anguished English series will cherish this newest installment of the author's latest chronicle of the gifts and gaffes of our oddball language. From headlines to menus, student papers to politicians' speeches, every embarrassing example is true-and wonderfully funny.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Pun lovers and grammarians rarely tire of the humor found in everyday use and misuse of the English language, and Richard Lederer is happy to provide us with a regular supply of such witticisms. An addition to his "Anguished English" series, The Bride of Anguished English is filled with hilarious language-related goofs. Each chapter focuses on a particular group of mishaps, including classic malapropisms, headlines, menus, kids' homework, poor interpretations of lyrics, and politicians' doublespeak.

This is not a good book to read in one sitting; each page is funny enough that you'll wind up with tears and a stomachache if you try to plow through it all at once. From "he's got one of those sight-seeing dogs" to "I don't want to cast asparagus at my opponents," the malapropisms are delightful, and the chapter even includes a short history of Mrs. Malaprop's character, and why she was found to be so entertaining by 18th-century theatergoers. The chapter on song lyrics introduces the word "modegreen," and provides some hilarious examples; would Bowie recognize his classic "Major Tom" by the singing of "clown control to Mao Zedong"? Christmas songs may never be the same, if we start singing them the way kids hear them--although "we three kings of porridge and tar" may well be the hit of the holidays. Headlines like "New Vaccine May Contain Rabbis" and "Uneasy Clam Settles Over Michigan" are not only funny, but reading them will help train your eye to seek out such boo-boos in your own local paper. Perfect for teachers, editors, nitpickers, and the annoying punster who shares your office, this absurd and entertaining book is sure to delight. --Jill Lightner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Richard Lederer is the author of more than two dozen books on language, including the bestselling Anguished English series, and most recently, Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay. He co-hosts a weekly radio program on NPR in San Diego, and speaks throughout the country. He lives in San Diego, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312300387
• ISBN-13: 978-0312300388
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one's RICH, July 26, 2002

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bride of Anguished English: A Bonanza of Bloopers, Blunders, Botches, and Boo-Boos (Paperback)

Is this the best of the Anguished volumes? The author Richard Lederer says that he believes "that my Bride is the best written of my four Anguished English books." I totally agree. "Bride" is a fantastic faux-pastiche of verbal blunders, a written equivalent to a whole season of TV's Best Bloopers plus America's Dumbest Home Videos.

Aside from its amusement value, "Bride" is also handy for English teachers and anyone wishing to improve their writing skills. Selected gems from the book can illustrate WHY you need to be careful about dangling participles, careless spelling and mixed metaphors. It's one thing to hold forth on the value of good English grammar, it's another to gaze with horrified astonishment at actual printed headlines such as:

"WOMAN BORN FEBRUARY 29 HAS BABY SAME DAY"
and
"AIRLINE EXPECTS TO BE BACK ON TRACK BY WEEKEND"

These illustrations are far more impressive than memorizing lists of rules or reading "Elements of Style." If you want to brush up your writing skills, it couldn't hurt to have a laugh and also pick up some examples of really bad mistakes you are sure to remember.

There is plenty more good stuff here--including the chapter on stupid headlines, a chapter of the particularly dumb stuff doctors and lawyers write (always rewarding if you like to needle professionals at parties, lots and lots of lawyer jokes here) and the divine comedy from church and Sunday School that informs you that "Amen" really means..."Tha-tha-tha-that's all, folks!"

I sure hope that's not all...we could all use some more Anguish like this. If you liked Richard's previous Anguished volumes, this one will not disappoint you.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy addition to a hilarious series!, October 4, 2000

By 

Beth L. Cato "Besu" (Buckeye, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Bride of Anguished English: A Bonanza of Bloopers, Blunders, Botches, and Boo-Boos (Hardcover)

As a devoted reader of Richard Lederer's previous "Anguished English" books, I was anxious to see if this book measured up to the previous titles. I was thrilled to find that it did that and more! There is no doubt that "The Bride of Anguished English" is a fantastic book that will keep me laughing for hours on end. Most all of the material is new, but it pays homage to classic English errors in a small "Hall of Fame" section at the end of each chapter. If you enjoy studying and/or laughing at the misuse of English, this is a book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Excellent Learning Tool, May 25, 2007

By 

Frederick S. Goethel "wildcatcreekbooks" (Central Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bride of Anguished English: A Bonanza of Bloopers, Blunders, Botches, and Boo-Boos (Paperback)

This book is a collection of blunders, bloopers and other mistaken uses of the English language. While it should be required reading for every American, I doubt that many people will read it, which is a shame.

The book is funny and will cause a chuckle, or out right laugh, only if you understand what the mistakes are. I found it a little disturbing that I missed some of the mistakes, because they are so common place that my eye just read what was supposed to be there...not what was actually written.

My only complaint is that the book does start to get redundant after a while, making it more suitable for short stretches of reading. Trying to read this book in a "straight through" manner gets tiring.

This book is easy to read, makes a great "bathroom" book, and could be used to teach about common mistakes in our language. Buy it and let your kids read it. Maybe they will figure out that they can write more clearly