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Rating: 
Summary: Quite a disappointment, really
Review: As a non-native English speaker (but a reasonably accomplished journalist and translator) I really looked forward to this book. After all, the excerpts I found online and in the readers' comments were wonderful... Unfortunately, I discovered that the reality of Crazy English is that of a quite "normal" textbook on rethorics. The examples are usually funny, but if you're experienced enough with English you don't really need anyone to explain you again what omophonics and "false friends" are. Oh, and the author really tends to be quite logorrhoic in his drive to show us how many words he does know - sometimes failing miserably with his explanations of Latin origin of words. Interesting, mildly fun but quite a disappointment, really.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly interesting and amusing commentary about our language
Review: Ever pick up a book to look up a fact or check your knowledge on something, and wind up losing track of time? I do that with this book far too often . . . and I never regret it. You can use "Crazy English" as a reference if you like, but what author Richard Lederer does best is make you chuckle at all the oddities of the English language.This book is literally (ha!) packed with word origins, semantics, "confused" phrases, funny figures of speech, and even categories of words I didn't even know had a name (the "nyms"). The chapter about the doctor who speaks only in palindromes is a classic. Lederer's wit plays right into the theme of the book, and I would bet he had as much fun writing it as I have reading it. No need to start at the beginning; just open to any page and bounce around. It's all great fun, and easy reading.
Rating:
Summary: Highly interesting and amusing commentary about our language
Review: Ever pick up a book to look up a fact or check your knowledge on something, and wind up losing track of time? I do that with this book far too often . . . and I never regret it. You can use "Crazy English" as a reference if you like, but what author Richard Lederer does best is make you chuckle at all the oddities of the English language. This book is literally (ha!) packed with word origins, semantics, "confused" phrases, funny figures of speech, and even categories of words I didn't even know had a name (the "nyms"). The chapter about the doctor who speaks only in palindromes is a classic. Lederer's wit plays right into the theme of the book, and I would bet he had as much fun writing it as I have reading it. No need to start at the beginning; just open to any page and bounce around. It's all great fun, and easy reading.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!!!
Review: I teach English in Japan and not only is this book interesting but it gave me good ideas for teaching. I laughed out loud several times. English is indeed crazy!
Rating: 
Summary: If you're interested in language, this is a great book.
Review: It's not a text book style book on the dusty history of the English language. Mr. Lederer writes an easy to read (pardon the expression) light hearted look at some of the eccentricities of the English language. Overall, a very enteratining read.
Rating:
Summary: Crazy English
Review: Recently I read the book Crazy English by Richard Lederer for a school project. I thought it was a very interesting book and it really did explain why our English language is so crazy. My favorite part of the book was the Tense Times with Verbs secetion. There were very good poems written in this chapter to help explain and give examples of how our language doesn't make sense sometimes. Another good portion of the book is The Sounds of English, it talks about the many different letters that have different sounds and the words that have mute letters, or silent letters. It has a very indepth perspective of many different sounds and why they are spelled and said the way they are. Overall, I thought this was a very educational book and interesting to read.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: Richard Lederer's books are great. I love reading about the English language and Lederer's books are so much fun, they're worth reading even if you don't share my passion for language.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: Richard Lederer's books are great. I love reading about the English language and Lederer's books are so much fun, they're worth reading even if you don't share my passion for language.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book gave wonderful definitions of some of the most odd and frustrating topics in the english language. I loved it!
Rating: 
Summary: A joyride through the glorious oddities of our mother tongue
Review: This is the quintessential union of humor and instruction among my works about words. My goal is to make you hear and see the English language in a refreshingly new way. The opening essay -- we drive in a parkway and park in a driveway; our nose can run and our feet can smell -- is a genuine evergreen on the Internet. I enjoy seeing my work from this book electronically shared, if proper attribution is provided. The 1998 rebirth of this book is a certified expansion and improvement of the parent book.
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