• click here to return to the homepage •
or 
Home > Categories > Books > Non-Fiction > Anguished English review
Anguished English is filled with accidental misuses of language that will delight and entertain you. This book has all the student bloopers, dangling modifiers, misread headlines, and malapropisms imaginable.
It's a must-have for word lovers everywhere.
• Advertisement: "Dog for sale. Eats anything and is fond of children."
• In a lawsuit: "Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?" "All my autopsies are on dead people."
• On a Hong Kong tailor shop: "Ladies may have a fit upstairs."
• Describing an accident: "In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telegraph pole."
Get Thee to a Punnery
The Natural Way to a Better Breastfeeding
Hannah Bandanna's Hair
Reckless
Animorphs - 1 - The Invasion
The Great Orlando
Fishtales Far-Fetched and Foul
Mission Survival: Gold of the Gods
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
8: An Animal Alphabet
The Christmas Looky Book
Alexandrian Society - 1 - The Atlas Six
Elastic Island Adventures: Rarotonga
Grandpa's Dashing DessertProduct reviews...
Review by: diogenes (Rob)
Dated: 7th of August, 2006
Anguished English is a gem amongst books. A collection of bloopers from amongst the press, adverts and children's school exams. One or two I had already seen from the numerous emails circulating cyberspace but then I wonder for where they originated - Richard Lederer's website perhaps?
Lederer has trawled the press, newsletters, and school work of thousands of American children (assisted by a vast team of volunteers ready to submit howlers for everyone else's entertainment and enjoyment) ready to illustrate and show how our beautiful language can get massacred and butchered unwittingly by people around the English speaking world.
Lederer has divided his book into convenient sections: from schoolchild bloopers and a rather funny section of some school notes; adverts, signs and church notices; headlines from the press and much, much more.
Each page contains plenty of wit and humour to inspire and brighten the dullest of days and the most boring of hours. One does not need to read the book from cover to cover to enjoy it, just dip between the covers when your mood needs lifting or you dispair of clear, concise headlines and yet another boring news-filled day.
This book will slip into your pocket for quiet moments at work, or will look equally good on your bookcase. For the lovers of English and those who appreciate humour, this book is for you. I can see this one disappearing from my library if I'm not careful.
Random listing from 'Books'...
This book isn't Lord of the Rings, but it is a quest; it's not Roots, but it is a story about the difficult and joyous search for your origins; and it's not Gilligan's Island, but it is set on an island paradise. The Smell of the Moon celebrates a return to humanity, to family and community, to a place where your senses can live large ... where you can smell the moon!
In ... more...
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Computer games don't affect kids. I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989
