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Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again
 
 
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Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again [Mass Market Paperback]

Paul Yeager (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 6, 2008
A wry and engaging look at trite, trendy, grammatically incorrect, inane, outdated, and lazy uses of words, phrases, and expressions.

By turns gleefully precise and happily contrarian, this is a highly opinionated guide to better communication. In Literally, the Best Language Book Ever, author Paul Yeager attacks with a linguistic scalpel the illogical expressions and misappropriated meanings that are so commonplace and annoying in everyday conversation. Identifying hundreds of common language miscues, Yeager provides an astute look at the world of words and how we abuse them every day.

For the grammar snobs looking for any port in a storm of subpar syntax, or the self-confessed rubes seeking a helping hand, this witty guide can transform even the least literate into the epitome of eloquence.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

““If hearing lines such as ‘I could care less’ and ‘This doesn’t help the problem’ drives you bonkers, read up.”
--Real Simple

About the Author

Paul Yeager is a managing editor and a freelance writer. As a child, he was annoyed when reading, writing, and arithmetic were referred to as the Three R’s, and he hasn’t changed a bit over the years.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Perigee Trade (May 6, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0399534237
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399534232
  • Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #727,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (7)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Petty And Just Plain Wrong, June 24, 2008
By 
Kerton (Pleasanton, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again (Mass Market Paperback)
Wow, was I surprised to see that my report will be in the minority here. I thought more people would leave this book with the same impression I did. I was hanging around at a Barnes and Noble and picked this book up. I enjoyed the first two entries I read, so bought the book for reading in my...ahem, boudoir -- I enjoy books with short sections that can occupy my brief time therein.

The author promises to point out trite and hackneyed abuses of the language, but what I found was a simpleton's guide to expressions that had grown old and repetitive to him. Why would I call the author a simpleton? Because he is just plain wrong on over half of the expressions that he criticizes. He makes fun of some items correctly, such as abuses of "literally" and "unique", or some overworked catchphrases like "Where's the beef?", but then loses it.

Many of the expressions he abhors are actually rich in history, and represent an admirable nod to tradition, human experience, etymology, and different eras. For example, he hates, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." and says it's silly for modern, urbanized people to be talking about chickens. Really? The "chickens" are from Aesop's Fable 'The Milk Maid' and date back to 600 BC. An old reference, for sure, but I think the expression has proven itself to have some staying power. For this writer to come along and say we should abandon classic references to such seminal works as Aesop's Fables, just because he's bored of hearing it, is just him griping - and demonstrating an ignorance of literature, history, and etymology. How can one write a book on language with that handicap?

Many others of his gripes fall into the "you don't own chickens, so find a better way to express yourself" formula. His is a sad, robotic interpretation of language. Do we really have to own chickens to talk about them, or would the world be more colorful if we allow (or rather encourage) people to talk with allegory, metaphor, and parable?

He lambastes several business expressions, and is right about a few of them. But most of them have very specific meanings, and the words were invented for a reason - to fill a hole that language didn't cover. A lot of words that he would banish are actually very useful so long as they are used correctly. "Downsized" and "Synergy" are two business words the author hates, but I'll stand to defend. When a person loses a job because a company "downsized" what it means is, yes they were fired, but through no fault of their own. That is a very different meaning than "fired" which the author says is more to the point. "Synergies", meanwhile, is certainly used too often, but nevertheless does fit on occasion: getting your chocolate in my peanut butter comes to mind. I don't agree with the author that we should banish the words.

Other expressions he dislikes are actually very useful shorthand that people can use to effectively communicate with one another. Is the expression "it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack" really so terrible, or is it actually more colorful and quicker to the point than saying "it will be extremely hard to find, because we are looking for something very small in a very big area of possible locations"? The author says the latter is preferable, because it uses plain English instead of a tired, overworked idiom. I say the former is better because it is 'language shorthand'.

Basically, the book was probably based on a few good entries, then the author had to fill up another hundred pages, and just grabbed whatever expressions he could think of, and criticized them. It looks to me like good expressions are thrown in with bad. Just to annoy the author, let me say that he has "thrown the baby out with the bathwater".
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Literally, The Best Language Book Ever, May 16, 2008
This review is from: Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again (Mass Market Paperback)
I bought this book after hearing the author go off on a funny rant about the word "issue" during a radio interview. When exactly DID "issue" stop meaning "topic" and become yet another synonym for "problem"? It was this Andy-Rooney-with-a-sense-of-humor approach to language that sold me on "Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again."

The book covers hundreds of communication missteps, but deals with each one in an easily digested 1-3 paragraphs. The tone is lighthearted, but the importance of clear communication is never trivialized. It's probably the easiest and most enjoyable book about language that I've read.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Face it, we are all guilty. We are human and can not be right 110% of the time., May 15, 2008
This review is from: Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again (Mass Market Paperback)
When I first saw the book advertised, I made a list of the phrases and comments I thought would be covered. While not a comprehensive listing, the author really hit a home run with the breadth of comments. Some of the offending statement do make commentary more colorful but typically, they add words without understanding whether their usage is really critical to the meaning. In a way, this is using the extreme form of euphemisms and, by virtue of doing so, obscuring the meaning of the statement being made. The book does not seem intended to be deeply thought provoking and, while I did not agree with everything, I did find myself strongly agreeing with quite a few of his observations. It can be read quickly in one sitting or can be used to provide shorter, entertaining breaks in your day.

Many of these phrases are just an example of our need to be constantly talking -- constantly making noise in an attempt to turn the right phrase to make us appear glib and entertaining. I enjoyed the author taking apart language as it is commonly used. Was that literally or figuratively taking apart? Read it and decide which is correct.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Fortunately, communicating well does not require being perfect at all times; however, some grammar mistakes are as painful to hear as a third-grade flute recital. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Best Language Book Ever, Please Try Again, Write Your Own Book, Older Than Dirt, Captain Kirk, Stop Playing Games, That Makes No Sense, Play It Again, Wrong Answer
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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