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Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language
 
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Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language (Paperback)

by John Humphrys (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Product Description

Ann Widdecombe, New Statesman

'for all those who care about the English language'


Review

'Humphrys is passionate about language – and very funny too' (Rod Liddle )

'Greatly enjoyable' (Simon Hoggart, Guardian )

'for all those who care about the English language' (Ann Widdecombe, New Statesman )

'It is always exhilarating to read a book which says what so many of us think' (Jonathan Keates, Spectator )

'Timely and lively' (Sunday Telegraph )

'Let us be very clear about this from the start: John Humphrys is a Good Thing' (Evening Standard )

'the Jack Russell of the Today programme has now chosen to take some well aimed snaps at solecism, jargon, cliche and weasel words... It is always exhilarating to read a book which says what so many of us think' (Spectator )

'I commend Citizen Humphrys' (Daily Mail )

'You will have fun with this book' (Guardian )

'an exquisite sensitivity to the misuse of the English language' (The Sunday Times )
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
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 (4)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very entertaining read, 5 Mar 2006
By Tealady2000 (Edinburgh) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
I have just read the other Amazon reviews of this book and I'd like to start by saying that I find it exasperating when people criticize an author for giving their personal opinion when that author states quite clearly at the start of the book that they are giving their personal opinion!

This is John Humphry's view of the sad decline in the correct use of English. He's not an academic, so this is not a rule book (though you may well learn something - I certainly did). He's an experienced journalist and broadcaster, and as such he is an expert at spotting when people use fancy words to say very little. There are some fantastic examples in here of advertising jargon and political guff. And he's not afraid to name and shame the worst offenders. The section on business-speak gives a mind-boggling selection of non-words. I have to confess that I now regularly threaten to 'de-individuate' my sons when they don't get ready quickly enough in the morning.

Humphrys accepts that English is constantly evolving and he acknowledges that he is intensely irritated by some linguistic developments that are happily accepted by others. There is certainly an element of Grumpy Old Man-ism here but personally I find that quite entertaining.

In summary this book is a personal view of the abuse and misuse of English. Keep that in mind and you won't go far wrong.

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74 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Intelligent and sane, 17 Nov 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language (Hardcover)
This has been a great read and is more than just waking up with John Humphrys in the morning. The book is funny and sharp in its capturing the essence of what our language is going through. I loved the bits where he takes the language of politicians and exposes the conscious manipulation. It's more than about politics;everyone who misuses language (and there are a lot of them about including himself) gets caught in his sights. But it's not a pedantic book. It's very entertaining.
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55 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars lost for words, 25 Nov 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language (Hardcover)
This really is a good book. I thought at first it was going to be a Humphry's rant, which it is but it is also very much more.The first half of the book is about mangling language. Humphreys cares passionately that language should be used to communicate and it upsets him when it does the opposite ,either deliberately or through neglect. He uses examples, written and spoken, from a variety of sources to illustrate mangling. however, I think the book is best when Humphrys shows us how politicians,advertisers and others deliberately mangle language to hide the truth or to communicate an idea so losely that they cannot be held accountable for it. He shows how language can be used to communicate along a spectrum running from clarity to deception. But he's not a pendant. He believes that almost every language rule can be broken as long as it is clear. Readers will also discover that they are not the only ones to listen to the weather forecast but hear nothing. Humphrys manages all of this with great humour.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Mangling and Manipulating the Message
The first half of this book is a long rumbling grumble about the state of modern youth, modern teaching and all things modern that impact on the English language. Read more
Published 7 months ago by John Holland

5.0 out of 5 stars Incisive and amusing
I like this man, he is not an academic and he has a great ability see through the whaffle and nonsense to which we are all exposed on a daily basis in the media, and politics,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by V. Brean

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives us pause for thought, before thought too is controlled
Subtitled `The Mangling and manipulating of the English Language', this book is an enjoyable rant from journalist and BBC presenter Humphrys; you can almost hear his voice as you... Read more
Published 20 months ago by R. Nicholson-morton

1.0 out of 5 stars Disssapinting and Thrown away!
What can I say?
I gave up reading after 180 pages of the same, repetitive, dull writing. There is nothing enlightening about the English language and use in this book, just... Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2007 by R. Christison

5.0 out of 5 stars Cackleworthy!
I was given this book, in its paperback edition, as a birthday gift. I'm normally a fiction reader and tend to veer away from anything that doesn't provide a bit of escapism from... Read more
Published on 1 May 2007 by N. Stratford

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is worth your attention.
I enjoyed this book. Its author knows enough about our language to hold the reader's attention and make his points in a light-hearted, witty way. Read more
Published on 25 April 2007 by J. D. Aspinall

4.0 out of 5 stars You could not of bought a better book for my wife and I.
If the title of my review doesn't annoy you then don't buy this book. It is an enjoyable rant about standards of English today and comes complete with many little anecdotes to... Read more
Published on 11 April 2007 by scheissefuergehirn

1.0 out of 5 stars I really tried !
Lost for words - saw the book, thought it had an amusing approach to dissect drivel and was quite dissapointed. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2007 by Oliver Geldner

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but a bit heavy.
This is a book for people who care passionately about the English language.

In the first part, the author shows how language is mangled. Read more

Published on 29 Jan 2006 by Louis Radford

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhere in between
I fall somewhere in between these two reviews.

My wife thought that this book was excellent. I thought it was OK - like "The Closing of the American Mind", its problem is that... Read more

Published on 6 Dec 2005 by P. M. Fernandez

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