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R. L. Trask

Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English (Penguin Reference Books S.) Hardcover – 2 Aug. 2001

by R L Trask (Author)

4.6 33 ratings

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English may be the most widely spoken of all languages; it is also one of the most misused. Exasperated by the poor quality of written English he encounters every day, Larry Trask has set himself the task of listing and then analysing the most common slips and gaffes perpetrated by students, teachers, journalists and other professionals whose business is - theoretically, at least - words. With wit and panache he inveighs against sloppy thinking, poor grammar, clumsy style, and a host of other language sins. His book will prove essential and salutory reading for anyone who ever puts pen to paper or finger to word processor.

ISBN-10

0140292373
ISBN-13

978-0140292374
Edition

First Edition
Publisher

Penguin
Publication date

2 Aug. 2001
Language

English
Dimensions

14 x 2.1 x 20.6 cm
Print length

320 pages
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Product description

About the Author

Professor Trask has taught in the School of Cognitive and Computing Science at the University of Sussex since 1988. He is the author of many books on language and lingusitics including THE PENGUIN GUIDE TO PUNCTUATION and THE PENGUIN DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; First Edition (2 Aug. 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140292373
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140292374
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14 x 2.1 x 20.6 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 3,196,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,231 in Linguistic Morphology
- 5,712 in Grammar, Structure & Syntax
- 68,453 in Languages

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4.6 33 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

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C. Renzi

Brilliant as are most things written by Larry Trask

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2012

Verified Purchase

If you hate grammar and punctuation yet fancy yourself as someone who can write, then you can do no better than consulting Trask. His online guide to punctuation gives anyone a very solid footing from which to start and this guide about common mistakes in the English language is invaluable for any would be authors.
It is a real loss to linguistics that Mr. Trask sadly is no longer with us. Had he lived into old age, he would no doubt have made more powerful contributions to a subject that we all use and could all do with using better.

2 people found this helpful

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Twiggy

Brilliant Book, Kindle Version Could Easily Be Made More Useful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a brilliant book and I refer to it almost every day.

The Kindle version is not as usable as the paperback because it is not indexed in a useful way although it is handy to be able to have it on an electronic device so that you can refer to it anywhere.

One person found this helpful

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Beckyboots

Interesting read for a grammar book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2014

Verified Purchase

This was recommended to me by my teacher for help with English writing. It is useful for various common grammatical misconceptions and is actually quite interesting to read rather than just sticking on the shelf until I need to refer to it!

2 people found this helpful

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Jimser10

Help with English

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 April 2011

Verified Purchase

I found this a very readable book. It covered most of the common mistakes made in using English and I pick it up for guidance every so often

5 people found this helpful

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Lady Loo

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2014

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I did not realise it was like a dictionary. Still enjoying it.

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Steve Longden

It's not funny and it's not clever

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2008

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I bought this book because of its witty punning title and Penguin's reputation for publishing excellent titles like the "Penguin Writer's Manual". But while the title may be witty, the content is not. "Mind the Gaffe" is an A-Z of words and phrases that the author wants to sound off about or thinks that you, dear reader, might get wrong. It starts with 'a, an', 'abattoir', 'abbreviations', and lumbers its pedantic way along to 'yours', 'yo-yo', '-yse, -yze', missing out 'yawn' along the way. Much of the book is taken up with dull entries like: "Accommodation: The word is so spelled with two Cs and two Ms. Do not write acommodation or accomodation."

The writing is turgid and opinionated. All the more surprising as this is supposed to be a book about writing. For one example from many, try this 56-word sentence from the entry on 'situated knowledges': "Anybody who believes that knowing that the moon is a huge rocky body orbiting the earth is just as 'situated', and hence just as valid, as 'knowing' that the moon is a glowing pumpkin hovering just above the treetops has a serious problem with reality, and should probably not operate machinery until this condition wears off." No, it's not funny, and it's not clever.

While it is not a good read, it is not a good reference book either. 'Inveterate' is a popular word for getting wrong, but is one of many omissions from the book. Many of the entries are vague and generalised, like the one for 'foreign names' that encourages the user to "consult a good reference book" (not this one, then).

For a witty book about the English language, buy Lynne Truss's "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". If in need of a good dictionary, the Collins English Dictionary is excellent. For checking spelling, any word processor will do.

14 people found this helpful

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Coolismo

Quite fine.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2015

Quite fine.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2008

This is an excellent guide to English usage, common errors and much else.

Trask can spot pretentious nonsense at forty paces and, thankfully, doesn't sit on the fence. The result is an authoritative book that sometimes made me laugh out loud as the author exposes and debunks some of the myths and nonsense that are still regularly encountered.

I share his dislike of the incomprehensible affected twaddle that so many academics and managers inflict on us.

I've since read a number of R.L. Trask's books and they're all outstanding. 'Language: The Basics' is brilliant and his guide to punctuation is quite simply the clearest and best available. Mr Trask is a truly talented writer and communicator. I wish more academics could write and explain ideas like him.

Those starting out on trying to improve their English might just occasionally find it a bit deep. I'd say 'Troublesome Words' by Bill Bryson is an excellent companion, but I'd definitely want this book to go with it. Reading two different, and well written, explanations is often a great help when dealing with an unfamiliar topic.

15 people found this helpful

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Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English (Penguin Reference Books S.) Hardcover – 2 Aug. 2001

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