Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language (Mass Market Paperback)

by Richard Lederer (Author) "One of the fringe benefits of being an English or history teacher is receiving the occasional jewel of a student blooper in an essay or..." (more)
Key Phrases: absent yesterday, New Hampshire, New York, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
From student essays to newspaper headlines, here is a fabulous collection of linguistic goofs and mixed-up metaphors that have done everything from rewriting history to announcing the ability of a soft drink to resurrect the dead! Dell.

From the Publisher
Anguished English is the impossibly funny anthology of accidental assaults upon our language. From bloopers and blunders to Signs of the Times to Mixed Up Metaphors...from Two-Headed Headlines to Mangling Modifiers, here is an outrageous treasury of assaults upon our common language that will leave you roaring with delight and laughter.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dell (August 5, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044020352X
• ISBN-13: 978-0440203520
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy Now at Amazon Which is On Sale for Only $7.95, September 6, 2007

By	!Edwin C. Pauzer (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This book contains headlines, malapropisms, school essays, parental notes to teachers, lawyer-witness dialogues, signs and other assaults on the English language that provide hours of chuckles and retelling to those who have not read it.

When you read a want ad that says: "Mixing bowl set designed to please a cook with round bottom for efficient beating," or the headline "Stiff Opposition Expected to Casketless Funeral Plan," you have to laugh.

It also reminds me of what a boss once told me: You can always deny what you said; you can never deny what you wrote.

This book is "overpriced, and worth every penny of it."

You can buy this at Amazon which is on sale for $7.95.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out Loud, June 13, 2000

By	Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

Not only is this book side-splitting hilarious, but it is also a valuable tool for teaching my kids about grammar and English usage.

Every time our kids would read, "Missing masterpiece found by tree" (an actual headline) or "Texas Colleges still a Bargain, Education Extra," and go into paroxysms of laughter, I knew they were also learning something about sentence structure. So it's a great book to give to kids age 11 - 17.

Sometimes people are reluctant to buy humor books because they think that if they've read it once, it won't be funny enough to pick up again. Not so with this book. Crack it open at random and you'll laugh as hard as the first time.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Funniest Book I've Ever Read..., February 17, 2001

By	Yellow - See all my reviews

...and I've read lots of funny books. This book has me doubled over every time I read it. The intro suggests that you shouldn't read it all at one sitting, but do it anyway- as long as you haven't had stitches lately- you'll break them for sure. I heard Mr. Lederer speak at the Irving Public Library in Irving Texas and his talk was funny enough to convince me to buy books. But the books themselves are PRICELESS! I can't read it in bed if my husband is trying to read or sleep- I can't keep from laughing. Buy the rest of the series, too. Oh, but if you keep a copy in the bathroom people will wonder what you're doing in there.