Woe Is I
The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English (Fourth Edition)
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Woe Is I
Narrated by:
Gabra Zackman
Pre-order for $23.91
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Narrated by:
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Gabra Zackman
About this listen
In this expanded and updated edition of Woe Is I, former editor at The New York Times Book Review Patricia T. O'Conner unties the knottiest grammar tangles with the same insight and humor that have charmed and enlightened readers of previous editions for years. With fresh insights into the rights, wrongs, and maybes of English grammar and usage, O'Conner offers in Woe Is I down-to-earth explanations and plain-English solutions to the language mysteries that bedevil all of us.
"Books about English grammar and usage are... never content with the status quo," O'Conner writes. "That's because English is not a stay-put language. It's always changing--expanding here, shrinking there, trying on new things, casting off old ones... Time doesn't stand still and neither does language."
In this fourth edition, O'Conner explains how the usage of an array of words has evolved. For example, the once-shunned "they," "them," and "their" for an unknown somebody is now acceptable. And the battle between "who" and "whom" has just about been won, O'Conner says (hint: It wasn't by "whom"). Then there's the use of "taller than me" in simple comparisons, instead of the ramrod-stiff "taller than I." "May" and "might," "use to" and "used to," abbreviations that use periods and those that don't, and the evolving definition of "unique" are all explained here by O'Conner. The result is an engaging, up-to-date and jargon-free guide to every reader's questions about grammar, style, and usage for the 21st century.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains a table of contractions, all pages from Chapter 8 on punctuations, a glossary, and bibliography from the book.
Critic Reviews
“Lighthearted and funny . . . It’s like Strunk and White combined with S. J. Perelman—none of whom would have had the slightest objection.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Possibly the most popular book on grammar ever published.” —Writers.com
“Extraordinary . . . I’m keeping this book by my keyboard.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Invigorating and entertaining . . . As vital as a dictionary for those who wish to be taken seriously in speech, in print, or on Facebook.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A nifty guidebook to modern grammar that affectionately elbows the reader on every page.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Possibly the most popular book on grammar ever published.” —Writers.com
“Extraordinary . . . I’m keeping this book by my keyboard.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Invigorating and entertaining . . . As vital as a dictionary for those who wish to be taken seriously in speech, in print, or on Facebook.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A nifty guidebook to modern grammar that affectionately elbows the reader on every page.” —San Francisco Chronicle
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