SiobhanP

Elle, We saw Bono do this on TV in the news....personally I thought it was pretty funny and how he got away with it. I also think he definately did it on purpose. it's funny becaus if you don't say F**K you just say feck. I think feck means throw in Irish but we use it for the other

My mother now thinks I swear like a truck driver while I think its quite mild for Ireland. One or two bad words will never kill us!

leonberger

Not to hijack this thread, but another book for those who love to read about the (mis)use of the English language is "Anguished Engligh" by Richard Lederer.

This book makes me laugh every time I open it. The author has compiled a huge variety of bloopers and other mistakes. (Street signs, newspapers, chuch bulletins, college term papers, want ads...it's all in there.)

There is actually a series of his books ("More Anguished English," "Get Thee to a Punnery," etc., etc.)

Buy these books - they're great.

Gayle

grilledsardine

i heard her interviewed on npr one morning. she is quite funny and made me think a book about punctuation could actually be an entertaining read! here's a link to the npr interview: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1843961

mclaurie

My English DH says the thing he misses <i>the most</i>, apart from family, is the English sense of humor. He tells the story of stopping for gas (petrol) here one hot August day at a self serve place. A fellow Englishman asked &quot;how do you work this f--ing thing?&quot; When he heard my DH's accent, they immediately started talking about-what else-the weather. The visitor reported that it had also been 90 degees at home before he left. &quot;Really??&quot; asked my husband?
Yeah-45 in the morning &amp; 45 in the afternoon. Bedum bum

StCirq

Oh Thin, dear, I haven't had my nose in the MLA Handbook for years. I'm almost through the 15th edition of the Chicago Handbook of Style, though - the plotline is SO superior to that of the MLA

I've already ordered my copy of Eats, Shoots &amp; Leaves. I've been waiting patiently for it to come out now for several months.

capo

I was scared to click on this thread...thought there might be a salacious photo of Prince Charles &amp; Camilla.

I heard about this book a few weeks ago and it sounds great. Also read an excerpt from it -- &quot;A punctuation sensation!&quot; -- at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4695914/

I love her writing style and enjoyed finding out where the title of the book comes from (since I wasn't familiar with the joke), from, as she puts it, 'a marvellous punctuation-fan joke about a panda who ?eats, shoots and leaves?,..'

cigalechanta

Elle, I bought that book at Barnes and Nobles where it has 30% off. The intro is by Frank McCourt.

elle

'Tis, 'tisn't it?

cigalechanta

that's funny , not helpful?