When You Catch An Adjective, Kill It: The Parts Of Speech, For Better And/or Worse
by Ben Yagoda /
2007 / English / EPUB, Mobipocket
683 KB Download
What do you get when you mix nine parts of speech, one great
writer, and generous dashes of insight, humor, and irreverence? One
phenomenally entertaining language book
What do you get when you mix nine parts of speech, one great
writer, and generous dashes of insight, humor, and irreverence? One
phenomenally entertaining language book.
.
In his waggish yet authoritative book, Ben Yagoda has managed to
undo the dark work of legions of English teachers and libraries of
dusty grammar texts. Not since
In his waggish yet authoritative book, Ben Yagoda has managed to
undo the dark work of legions of English teachers and libraries of
dusty grammar texts. Not sinceSchool House Rock
School House Rock have
adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, interjections, nouns,
prepositions, pronouns, and verbs been explored with such
infectious exuberance. Read
have
adjectives, adverbs, articles, conjunctions, interjections, nouns,
prepositions, pronouns, and verbs been explored with such
infectious exuberance. ReadIf You Catch an Adjective, Kill
It
If You Catch an Adjective, Kill
It and:
and:
Learn how to write better with classic advice from writers such as
Mark Twain (“If you catch an adjective, kill it”), Stephen King (“I
believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs”), and Gertrude
Stein (“Nouns . . . are completely not interesting”).
Learn how to write better with classic advice from writers such as
Mark Twain (“If you catch an adjective, kill it”), Stephen King (“I
believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs”), and Gertrude
Stein (“Nouns . . . are completely not interesting”).
Marvel at how a single word can shift from adverb (“I did okay”),
to adjective (“It was an okay movie”), to interjection (“Okay!”),
to noun (“I gave my okay”), to verb (“Who okayed this?”), depending
on its use.
Marvel at how a single word can shift from adverb (“I did okay”),
to adjective (“It was an okay movie”), to interjection (“Okay!”),
to noun (“I gave my okay”), to verb (“Who okayed this?”), depending
on its use.
Avoid the pretentious preposition
Avoid the pretentious prepositionat
at, a favorite of real
estate developers (e.g., “The Shoppes at White Plains”).
, a favorite of real
estate developers (e.g., “The Shoppes at White Plains”).
Laugh when Yagoda says he “shall call anyone a dork to the end of
his days” who insists on maintaining the distinction between
Laugh when Yagoda says he “shall call anyone a dork to the end of
his days” who insists on maintaining the distinction betweenshall
shall and
andwill
will.
.
Read, and discover a book whose pop culture references, humorous
asides, and bracing doses of discernment and common sense convey
Yagoda’s unique sense of the “beauty, the joy, the artistry, and
the fun of language.”
Read, and discover a book whose pop culture references, humorous
asides, and bracing doses of discernment and common sense convey
Yagoda’s unique sense of the “beauty, the joy, the artistry, and
the fun of language.”
