Description
For years Richard Lederer has entertained fans of the English language with his keen insights, commonsense advice, and witty patter. Now Lederer and Richard Dowis take readers on another journey through our most “wiggy” of languages. How many times have we all heard the word “viable” used in company meetings? The authors show us how “viable” was at one time extracted from medical books, where it is actually defined as “capable of living,” and placed into our consumer marketplace. Then there is confusion between “lay” and “lie,” which the authors clear up once and for all. These and dozens of delightful examples make this book pure pleasure for language buffs, writers, and teachers.
For years Lederer has entertained fans of the English language with his keen insights, common-sense advice, and witty patter. He and Dowis show how “viable” was at one time extracted from medical books, where it is literally defined as “capable of living”. Then there is the confusion between “lay” and “lie”, which the authors clear up once and for all.
St. Martin’s Griffin
Language Arts & Disciplines
Linguistics
Edition: Etymology, Language Arts & Disciplines
Keywords: Linguistics
