Language lessons from a master delivered masterfully: Crystal-clear.
The author of numerous works about the history and uses of English returns with a brief, illuminating disquisition on the history and varied tasks of the verb “to be.”
That little buzzing verb is a word we employ in myriads of ways for myriads of reasons, from the “existential” to the “ludic”—and more. In this concise and clear account, Crystal (Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar, 2017, etc.) fashions an unusual chapter organization: a description of the usage, many historical examples (Shakespeare and the Bible are prominent), some cartoons from Punch (and some created especially for this volume by cartoonist Ed McLachlan), and an occasional panel (Crystal’s term) that focuses on a related topic—e.g., the imperative form. The author’s cadre of readers will know that he is no prescriptivist. In his section on the expression “woe is me,” he emits a tiny snarl at the prescriptive approach, noting the insistence of some on “woe is I.” Nor does Crystal tear his hair or claw his face when dealing with slang and the language of texting (“textese,” he calls it). As a descriptivist, the author recognizes that railing against usage is generally pointless—grammar and usage move on (ain’t was once “correct,” he notes)—and reminds us that earlier “telegraph” generations dealt with “telegramese.” He also traces the history of each usage—many go back to Anglo-Saxon—and shows how time has, or has not, altered it. His examples range wide and include Hamlet, popular song, newspaper headlines, and novels by Dickens and Thackeray. He does not neglect former President Bill Clinton’s comment, during his sex-scandal testimony, about how “it depends on what the meaning of the word is is.” And so it does.
Language lessons from a master delivered masterfully: Crystal-clear.Pub Date: June 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-19-879109-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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