Synopses & Reviews
"It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word." -- Andrew Jackson
Weird or wierd? Necessary or neccessary? Recomend or recommend? English spelling is fiendish, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun with it.
Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary is at once a celebration of spelling and a solace to anyone who has ever struggled with the arcane rules of the English language. As amusing as he is informative, Vivian Cook thrills the reader with more than a hundred entries -- from photographs of hilariously misspelled signs to quizzes best taken in private to schadenfreude-rich examples of spelling errors of literary greats -- that will tickle the inner spelling geek in every reader.
It all adds up to a gem of a book that takes a wry look at the hodgepodge evolution of spelling and the eccentric way it actually works.
Difficult Words Spelling Test Circle whichever one is right.
1. dessicate desiccate desicate
2. ecstasy exstacy ecstacy
3. adress adres address
4. dumbel dumbbell dumbell
5. accomodate accommodate acommodate
6. necesary neccesary necessary
7. liaison liaision liason
8. pronounciation pronounceation pronunciation
9. ocurence occurrence occurence
10. embarass embaras embarrass
11. brocolli broccolli broccoli
12. refering referring refferring
13. cemetery semetary cemetary
Review
"It takes a special mind to have this much fun with spelling. Mr. Cook clearly enjoys this subject, and his readers will too."
-- Jeffrey Kacirk, author of The Word Museum and Informal English
About the Author
Vivian Cook is professor of applied linguistics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was inspired to write this book out of frustration with those who, not knowing the crucial gender difference between the British spellings Vivian and Vivien assume from his first name that he is a woman. He lives in Colchester, England.