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182 of 210 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible!, February 19, 2006
This review is from: 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses (Paperback)
If you need this book, you will not understand it. If you understand it, you don't need it! Unless you were the one student in thousands whose jaw dropped in rapt fascination when your seventh-grade teacher diagrammed the parts of speech, you will not follow the alleged explanations in this book. The explanations come straight out of that seventh-grade grammar text. Such and such a word is the intransitive past participle of another word. There, that cleared it up, didn't it! There is almost never a simple declarative sentence about how to use a confusing word... here is a lovely example from page 88...
"The adjective precipitate and the adverb precipitately were once applied to physical steepness but are now used primarily of rash, headlong actions. Precipitous currently means "steep" in both literal and figuratrive senses: 'the precipitous rapids of the upper river; a precipitous drop in commodity prices.' But precipitous and precipitously are also frequently used to mean "abrupt, hasty," which takes tham into territory what would ordinarily belong to precipitate and precipitately..."
Hope that cleared it up for you!
This book suffers from "junior high math teacher's syndrome," where if you didn't understand the problem, and found the courage to raise your hand, the teacher just looked at you as if you'd just gotten off the special-ed bus and repeated exactly the same indecipherable explanation using the exact same words, only slightly slower and with more condescension.
The writers of this book are dictionary editors, and therefore presume that telling us the part of speech and Greek or Latin derivation will make things clear. They do not. I write for a living, in part. I do not think I found one confusing word clarified by this book in a way I will incorporate in my work.
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My compliments to a perfect complement to writing well., November 4, 2004
This review is from: 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses (Paperback)
If you've ever had the argument with yourself or another whether it was "insure" or "ensure" you know that after a minute of deliberation - they both seem correct. This book gives comprehensive definitions and usage examples for word sets like these, and always casts the tie-breaking vote, so you can write with more confidence with a minimal amount of research time.
This is a great book for even the most confident and competent writer, and for a tiny volume packs a big punch, requiring almost no time to fully explore usage conventions for commonly misused words, then offering concise, decisive advice as to which word in the pair most aptly applies, including, as is sometimes the case with "insure" and "ensure," when both may be technically correct, but one is preferred. Clearly cross referenced, thorough, and easy to use, the 100 words are well chosen and presented.
A lot of little reference books, especially word books, seem to be written more for novelty or get mired down in a lot of frippery, but this book is an actual workhorse, something that will get used, and often. A great book for anyone who writes for business or pleasure, as well as students and even copy editors. I've only had it two weeks and already use it more than my dictionary. I highly recommend this to anyone.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I still get confused by LIE and LAY...., November 1, 2004
This review is from: 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses (Paperback)
...and I've finally found something I can keep close at hand for moments like that. 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses is an awesome reference source that takes up very little desk space and is easily kept handy for moments when you are wondering whether you are seeking a "discreet" or "discrete" affair, or if a combustible gas is "flammable" or "inflammable." Moreover each entry carefully explains the origins of the word, the controversies over usage, and the proper context for a particular use of a word. Every entry has a note, although some of the notes are cross-references to another word where the full explanation is found ("flammable" for example, references "inflammable"). This is a great gift for the student or writer in your life, or for anyone who cares about correct word usage!
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