library_ann's review against another edition
4.0
a fun listen while we were on a long road trip. I learned that sometimes -le in English words means you are dealing with a frequentative; so frequent grunting is gruntle, frequent sparking is sparkle; lots of spangs makes spangled. Now I find myself thinking of other -le words, and wondering... is waffle a form of frequent wafting?
Also, you can snug once, but too much and it becomes snuggling! I love that :)
Also, you can snug once, but too much and it becomes snuggling! I love that :)
ros77uk's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, I did enjoy this. If you are the sort of person who reads the dictionary (you look up one word, turn the page, see another, think "oh, that looks interesting" and so on) you will love this book. It is a bit like QI if you know the show - and at the end it refers you to "see page 1". After a while, you sometimes wonder if the facts in the book are really true, they seem so strange, and it is not necessarily a book that you can read from cover to cover, otherwise your eyes would glaze after only a few pages. But keep biting at it, and you get a wonderful meal...
mahi_tiwari's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
abigaillemonade's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
twig_larkin's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
kayedacus's review against another edition
5.0
This is the perfect book for the word-nerd! In audio form, it was great to have it playing while I was doing stuff around the house or busywork on the computer. For those of us who love words and love finding out how they originated (i.e., their etymology), the question of "but, what's the point of this book?" doesn't matter. The point is author Mark Forsyth's circuitous journey through the way words are connected and evolved into our modern English language.
I also have The Elements of Eloquence, and now I'm really looking forward to reading it, too!
I also have The Elements of Eloquence, and now I'm really looking forward to reading it, too!
mjs_18's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
Hilarious whirlwind tour of history and language.
whysa's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't actually finish this, grand to just pick up and have a look through