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Anguished English: An Anthology of…
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Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language (edition 1989)

by Richard Lederer

Series: Anguished English (1)

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1,2031616,167 (3.97)30
Anguished English is the impossibly funny anthology of accidental assaults upon our common language. From bloopers and blunders to signs of the times to mixed up metaphors . . . from two-headed headlines to mangling modifiers . . . it's a collection that will leave you roaring with delight and laughter. Help wanteds: Wanted: Unmarried girls to pick fresh fruit and produce at night.Two-Headed Headlines: Grandmother of eight makes hole in one! Doctor testifies in horse suit.Modern-Day Malapropisms: I suffer from a deviant septum.… (more)
Member:thebiblioholic
Title:Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language
Authors:Richard Lederer
Info:Dell (1989), Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
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Anguished English by Richard Lederer

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» See also 30 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 16 (next | show all)
Interesting read, whether you agree with the authors opinions or not. ( )
  mykl-s | Jun 17, 2023 |
Hilarious!! My kids and I read it out loud and couldn't stop giggling. ( )
  cmcall | Jun 21, 2022 |
Wonderful discussion of the world of misusages
, typos and errors of English. I laughed out loud throughout the entire book. ( )
  LindaLeeJacobs | Feb 15, 2020 |
First published in 1987, Lederer chronicles the many and various ways in which the English language has been abused, misused and generally massacred. I first read it years ago but in the rereading now, I would say it holds up pretty well. There are parts that are truly laugh-out-loud hilarious. Some are familiar because they are famous (think Yogi Berra-isms); others are just plain priceless.

Want some examples?

From student bloopers in essays:
- (reversing a g and a q): "When a boy and a girl are deeply I love, there is no quilt felt between them."
- "In 1957, Eugene O'Neill won a Pullet Surprise"
- "Necessity is the mother of convention."
- "Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained."

From Modern Day Malapropisms:
- "He is a wealthy typhoon."
- "They call it PMS - Pre-Minstrel Syndrome."
- "I wish someone would make a decision around here. I am tired of just hanging around in libido."

From Mixed-up Metaphors:

- "I'm not going to be side-tracked into a tangent."
- "Let's hope that Steve Carlton gets his curve ball straightened out."
- "It's time to grab the bull by the tail and look it in the eye."

From Lost in Translation:

- "Our nylons cost more than common, but you'll find they are best in the long run"
- (sign in Majorcan shop entrance): "English well talking" and "Here Speeching American."

From Laffing at Misspellings:

- "Many people believe he was a Satin worshipper."
- "Today's special: barely soup"
- "Drop your ballet in the ballet box."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love stuff like this. I will admit to owning several other books by Lederer, who is nothing if not prolific, though goodness knows, there seems to be a never-ending supply of examples to draw from! ( )
  jessibud2 | May 16, 2018 |
Hilarious, and what's more, consistently hilarious. My high school English teacher and I bonded over this book. ( )
  satyridae | Apr 5, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 16 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Richard Ledererprimary authorall editionscalculated
Thompson, BillIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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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 test paper.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Anguished English is the impossibly funny anthology of accidental assaults upon our common language. From bloopers and blunders to signs of the times to mixed up metaphors . . . from two-headed headlines to mangling modifiers . . . it's a collection that will leave you roaring with delight and laughter. Help wanteds: Wanted: Unmarried girls to pick fresh fruit and produce at night.Two-Headed Headlines: Grandmother of eight makes hole in one! Doctor testifies in horse suit.Modern-Day Malapropisms: I suffer from a deviant septum.

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