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Questions of English
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US $5.19
ApproximatelyRM 22.20
Condition:
“Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, ”... Read moreabout condition
Good
A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages.
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Located in: Aurora, Illinois, United States
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Estimated between Thu, 7 Aug and Mon, 11 Aug to 94104
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30 days return. Seller pays for return shipping.
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eBay item number:197318913273
Item specifics
- Condition
- Good
- Seller Notes
- Binding
- Paperback
- Book Title
- Questions of English
- Weight
- 0 lbs
- Product Group
- Book
- IsTextBook
- No
- ISBN
- 9780198692928
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10
0198692927
ISBN-13
9780198692928
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1954041
Product Key Features
Number of Pages
200 Pages
Publication Name
Questions of English
Language
English
Publication Year
1996
Subject
Grammar & Punctuation, General
Type
Not Available
Subject Area
Reference, Language Arts & Disciplines
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
0.5 in
Item Weight
5.5 Oz
Item Length
7.7 in
Item Width
5.1 in
Additional Product Features
LCCN
95-199914
Dewey Edition
20
Compiled by
McDonald, Fred, Marshall, Jeremy
Illustrated
Yes
Dewey Decimal
428
Intended Audience
Trade
Synopsis
Why is "f" used instead of "s" in old-fashioned writing and printing? What does "corned" mean in "corned beef?" How many words are there in the English language? Is the correct plural of "octopus" spelled "octopuses" or "octopi"? Since the Oxford Word and Language Service (OWLS, for short) was launched in 1983, it has been flooded with queries such as the above. The questions come from university professors, schoolchildren, word-game enthusiasts, translators, historians, and monks--from people who have come across obscure words in an old will or in an ancient recipe book, or who have had their curiosity piqued by one of the thousands of oddities attendant on our language. In Questions of English, Jeremy Marshall and Mrs. Fred McDonald have gathered some of the most curious and enlightening questions that OWLS has fielded, in a volume that will fascinate word lovers everywhere. The topics range from the mundane to the exotic, from common questions of punctuation or pronunciation (why, for instance, is the River Thames pronounced temz?), to queries about bizarre words and neologisms (such as "nephelococcygeal," which means "of or related to Cloud-Cuckoo-Land"). Logophiles are in their element here, with fascinating discussions of obscure words as well as intriguing facts about the familiar. We learn, for instance, that the political term "Tory" was originally an insulting nickname (probably related to the Irish word for thief), as were the terms "Whig," "Quaker," and "Methodist." The editors tell us that the word "gopher" comes from the French gaufre or "honeycomb" (because the gopher's burrows honeycombed the ground) and that "zimbabwe" is an African word meaning "walled grave," a name given to the numerous ruined medieval settlements found in the state of Zimbabwe. And we discover that the plural of "octopus" should perhaps be "octopodes" ("octopi" comes from the mistaken idea that "octopus" is a Latin word; it's actually a Latinized form of the Greek oktopous, whose plural is oktopodes), but either "octopi" or "octopuses" are considered correct. In addition, the Owls puzzle over many spurious etymologies, such as for the words "posh" (which probably does not stand for "Port Out Starboard Home"), "quiz," "snob," or "OK," and they provide a brief discussion of British and American English, which covers pronunciation (we say tomado, they say tomato), spelling, and vocabulary (in America, "mean" means "nasty," while in Britain it means "cheap"). A joy for any lover of language, Questions of English brings the language to life with bright and often irreverent style. It is a browser's goldmine, packed with fascinating and useful facts about our native tongue., Why is "f" used instead of "s" in old-fashioned writing and printing? What does "corned" mean in "corned beef?" How many words are there in the English language? Is the correct plural of "octopus" spelled "octopuses" or "octopi"? Since the Oxford Word and Language Service (OWLS, for short) was launched in 1983, it has been flooded with queries such as the above. The questions come from university professors, schoolchildren, word-game enthusiasts, translators, historians, and monks--from people who have come across obscure words in an old will or in an ancient recipe book, or who have had their curiosity piqued by one of the thousands of oddities attendant on our language. In Questions of English, Jeremy Marshall and Mrs. Fred McDonald have gathered some of the most curious and enlightening questions that OWLS has fielded, in a volume that will fascinate word lovers everywhere. The topics range from the mundane to the exotic, from common questions of punctuation or pronunciation to queries about bizarre words and neologisms. Logophiles are in their element here, with fascinating discussions of obscure words as well as intriguing facts about the familiar. A joy for any lover of language, Questions of English brings the language to life with bright and often irreverent style. It is a browser's goldmine, packed with fascinating and useful facts about our native tongue., Why is "f" used instead of "s" in old-fashioned writing and printing? What does "corned" mean in "corned beef?" How many words are there in the English language? Is the correct plural of "octopus" spelled "octopuses" or "octopi"? Since the Oxford Word and Language Service (OWLS, for short) was launched in 1983, it has been flooded with queries such as the above. The questions come from university professors, schoolchildren, word-game enthusiasts, translators, historians, and monks--from people who have come across obscure words in an old will or in an ancient recipe book, or who have had their curiosity piqued by one of the thousands of oddities attendant on our language. In Questions of English , Jeremy Marshall and Mrs. Fred McDonald have gathered some of the most curious and enlightening questions that OWLS has fielded, in a volume that will fascinate word lovers everywhere. The topics range from the mundane to the exotic, from common questions of punctuation or pronunciation (why, for instance, is the River Thames pronounced temz ?), to queries about bizarre words and neologisms (such as "nephelococcygeal," which means "of or related to Cloud-Cuckoo-Land"). Logophiles are in their element here, with fascinating discussions of obscure words as well as intriguing facts about the familiar. We learn, for instance, that the political term "Tory" was originally an insulting nickname (probably related to the Irish word for thief), as were the terms "Whig," "Quaker," and "Methodist." The editors tell us that the word "gopher" comes from the French gaufre or "honeycomb" (because the gopher's burrows honeycombed the ground) and that "zimbabwe" is an African word meaning "walled grave," a name given to the numerous ruined medieval settlements found in the state of Zimbabwe. And we discover that the plural of "octopus" should perhaps be "octopodes" ("octopi" comes from the mistaken idea that "octopus" is a Latin word; it's actually a Latinized form of the Greek oktopous , whose plural is oktopodes ), but either "octopi" or "octopuses" are considered correct. In addition, the Owls puzzle over many spurious etymologies, such as for the words "posh" (which probably does not stand for "Port Out Starboard Home"), "quiz," "snob," or "OK," and they provide a brief discussion of British and American English, which covers pronunciation (we say toma d o, they say toma t o), spelling, and vocabulary (in America, "mean" means "nasty," while in Britain it means "cheap"). A joy for any lover of language, Questions of English brings the language to life with bright and often irreverent style. It is a browser's goldmine, packed with fascinating and useful facts about our native tongue.
LC Classification Number
PE1460.Q47 1995
Item description from the seller
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- s***n (115)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseCondition of the product were fine
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Seller feedback (5,695,858)
- s***n (115)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseCondition of the product were fine
- i***m (209)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseClassic film. Mint condition. Easy transaction
- k***w (823)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseProduct as described. Quick shipping. Would purchase from this seller again.