Highly irregular why tough, through, and dough don't rhyme-and other oddities of the English language
"Perhaps you're reading a book and stop to puzzle over absurd spelling rules, or you hear someone talking and get stuck on an expression, or your kid quizzes you on homework. Suddenly you ask yourself, "Wait, why do we do it this way?" You think about it, try to explain it, and k...
| Main Author: | Okrent, Arika (Author) |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | O'Neill, Sean, 1968- (Illustrator) |
| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
[2021]
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
"Perhaps you're reading a book and stop to puzzle over absurd spelling rules, or you hear someone talking and get stuck on an expression, or your kid quizzes you on homework. Suddenly you ask yourself, "Wait, why do we do it this way?" You think about it, try to explain it, and keep running into walls. It doesn't conform to logic. It doesn't work the way you'd expect it to. There doesn't seem to be any rule at all. In Highly Irregular, Arika Okrent answers these questions and many more. Along the way she tells the story of the many influences--from invading French armies to stubborn Flemish printers--that made our language the way it is today"-- |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: |
viii, 264 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm |
| Bibliography: |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [251]-254) and index. |
| ISBN: |
9780197539408 0197539408 |
| Author Notes: |
Sean O'Neill is an illustrator and writer living in Chicago. He is the creator of the Rocket Robinson series of graphic novels for young readers. Arika and Sean are also known for their series of live-drawing whiteboard videos on language and other topics, produced by mentalfloss.com. |