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Rating: 
Summary: This one's RICH
Review: Is this the best of the Anguished volumes? The author Richard Lederer says that he believes "that my Bride is the best written of my four Anguished English books." I totally agree. "Bride" is a fantastic faux-pastiche of verbal blunders, a written equivalent to a whole season of TV's Best Bloopers plus America's Dumbest Home Videos. Aside from its amusement value, "Bride" is also handy for English teachers and anyone wishing to improve their writing skills. Selected gems from the book can illustrate WHY you need to be careful about dangling participles, careless spelling and mixed metaphors. It's one thing to hold forth on the value of good English grammar, it's another to gaze with horrified astonishment at actual printed headlines such as: "WOMAN BORN FEBRUARY 29 HAS BABY SAME DAY"
and
"AIRLINE EXPECTS TO BE BACK ON TRACK BY WEEKEND" These illustrations are far more impressive than memorizing lists of rules or reading "Elements of Style." If you want to brush up your writing skills, it couldn't hurt to have a laugh and also pick up some examples of really bad mistakes you are sure to remember. There is plenty more good stuff here--including the chapter on stupid headlines, a chapter of the particularly dumb stuff doctors and lawyers write (always rewarding if you like to needle professionals at parties, lots and lots of lawyer jokes here) and the divine comedy from church and Sunday School that informs you that "Amen" really means..."Tha-tha-tha-that's all, folks!" I sure hope that's not all...we could all use some more Anguish like this. If you liked Richard's previous Anguished volumes, this one will not disappoint you.
Rating:
Summary: This one's RICH
Review: Is this the best of the Anguished volumes? The author Richard Lederer says that he believes "that my Bride is the best written of my four Anguished English books." I totally agree. "Bride" is a fantastic faux-pastiche of verbal blunders, a written equivalent to a whole season of TV's Best Bloopers plus America's Dumbest Home Videos. Aside from its amusement value, "Bride" is also handy for English teachers and anyone wishing to improve their writing skills. Selected gems from the book can illustrate WHY you need to be careful about dangling participles, careless spelling and mixed metaphors. It's one thing to hold forth on the value of good English grammar, it's another to gaze with horrified astonishment at actual printed headlines such as: "WOMAN BORN FEBRUARY 29 HAS BABY SAME DAY"
and
"AIRLINE EXPECTS TO BE BACK ON TRACK BY WEEKEND" These illustrations are far more impressive than memorizing lists of rules or reading "Elements of Style." If you want to brush up your writing skills, it couldn't hurt to have a laugh and also pick up some examples of really bad mistakes you are sure to remember. There is plenty more good stuff here--including the chapter on stupid headlines, a chapter of the particularly dumb stuff doctors and lawyers write (always rewarding if you like to needle professionals at parties, lots and lots of lawyer jokes here) and the divine comedy from church and Sunday School that informs you that "Amen" really means..."Tha-tha-tha-that's all, folks!" I sure hope that's not all...we could all use some more Anguish like this. If you liked Richard's previous Anguished volumes, this one will not disappoint you.
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