Synopses & Reviews
Richard Lederer has been called Attila the Pun, Conan the Grammarian, and the Viceroy of Verbivores. In The Revenge of Anguished English, Lederer leaves us limp with laughter at how the innocent, the negligent, and the pompous mangle the English language. Lederer loves a good verbal blooper: Unfortunate typos, misplaced modifiers, unintended double-entendres, downright stupidity---its all here, collected and celebrated by the most popular anguished language expert of them all. As a bonus, not a single blooper, blunder, or boo-boo has been made up or fiddled with. Consider these bloopers:
- In an essay, a student wrote, “The ship that brought the first settlers to the new world was the Cauliflower.”
- Many gas stations equipped with snack stores display the sign “Eat Here and Get Gas.”
- A classified ad offered “antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.”
- Another student blooper: The four gospels are written by John, Paul, George, and that other guy.
- A science blooper: Elephants eat roots, leaves, grasses, and sometimes bark.
- In a church bulletin: Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.
- On a baby stroller: Remove child before folding.
Review
"Richard Lederer is the true King of Language Comedy. His
Anguished English books are the funniest books I have ever read."
- Sidney Sheldon
"Someone should declare Richard Lederer a national treasure."
- Anne Merriman, Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Only Richard Lederer could make the complete decline of the English language so entertaining."
- Mike Reiss, Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of The Simpsons
"Richard Lederer's delight in English is itself delightful--and contagious!"
- Edwin Newman, author of I Must Say
"Richard Lederer has done it again--another delightful, witty, and hugely absorbing celebration of the English language. Is there no stopping this man?"
- Bill Bryson, author of A Walk in the Woods
Synopsis
Richard Lederer has been called Attila the Pun, Conan the Grammarian, and the Viceroy of Verbivores. In
The Revenge of Anguished English, this "Abbot of Absurdity" (as
People magazine has dubbed him) leaves us limp with laughter at how the innocent, the negligent, and the pompous mangle the English language. True to the code of this super-duper blooper snooper, all the fluffs and flubs, goofs and gaffes, and blunders, botches, boo-boos, and bloopers are genuine, authentic, certified, and unretouched. Nothing has been made up!
* Student blooper: The four gospels are written by John, Paul, George, and that other guy.
* Science blooper: Elephants eat roots, leaves, grasses, and sometimes bark.
* In a church bulletin: Attend and you will hear an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.
* A headline howler: DENVER CHAPTER WILL HAVE SENATOR FOR BREAKFAST
* On a frozen food package: Defrost your frozen food before eating.
* Misplaced modifier: Children should not drive golf carts under the age of sixteen.
* Spelling error: The driver of the car was cited for wreckless driving.
About the Author
Richard Lederer is the author of more than thirty books on language and humor, including
Anguished English and
A Man of My Words. His column, "Looking at Language," appears in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and he cohosts "A Way with Words" on San Diego public radio. He lives with his wife, Simone van Egeren, in San Diego.