How to Sound Clever
Master the 600 English words you pretend to understand...when you don't
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:11th Apr '13
Should be back in stock very soon
Bamboozled by braggadocio? Dumbfounded by ‘Delphic'? This book explains the etymology of 800 key words you really need to know to stand out from the crowd and boost your vocabulary.
How to Sound Clever explains the etymology of 600 key words you really ought to know, but haven't had the time to look up in the dictionary. Each entry features an etymological description as well as useful example phrases so that readers can quickly see the correct context for each word. Anecdotes and witty illustrations appear throughout to make a book that is entertaining and will help the reader to boost their vocabulary. An ideal gift and a useful book for everyone have to hand when they come across a word you should know, but don't. Colin Dexter has described How to Sound Clever thus: ‘This admirable book is a wholly welcome antidote to the semi-demi-literacy of the 21st century. Go out and buy it!'
‘This admirable book is a wholly welcome antidote to the semi-demi-literacy of the 21st century. Go out and buy it!' * Colin Dexter *
Van den Bergh has produced a volume of words we all use, nod at and try to explain to other people - all with too little knowledge of their real meaning. It is time to claim back a semblance of literacy with this sublime lexicon. * The Field (December 2010) *
For the type of person who is always collecting new words from books, television programmes and even the internet, How to Sound Clever is both a vocabulary checklist and a source of fresh inspiration! An entertaining, addictive and, yes, instructive vocabulary top-up that will appeal to all amateur wordsmiths...quirky cartoons and etymological anecdotes lighten the experience somewhat, appealing to browsers and trivia buffs alike! Recommended as a desktop distraction or festive stocking filler for logophiles, How to Sound Clever has all the words you ever wanted to know, but were too lazy to look up! * Reference Reviews *
ISBN: 9781408194560
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 185g
224 pages