LoveReading Says
A fun way to expand your vocabulary - there’s nothing more cringe making than trying to impress and getting your words wrong. Wordsmith, Hubert van den Bergh provides 600 of the more obscure English words that can be used to impress, astound and stand out from the crowd! He gives context and examples so you won’t become a laughing stock when you come to try out your new vocabulary.
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Hubert Van Den Bergh Press Reviews
'A very handy resource when you need to make those fine distinctions between the ego and the superego, or if you can't tell your exogenous from your endogenous or want to know what makes for a diegetic soundtrack in a film. How to Sound Really Clever is a teasing mixture of the half-familiar and the intriguingly obscure, and it's all done with a light touch.' -- Philip Gooden
'This witty book is an alphabetical list of less usual words and expressions which might impress others. Some are recondite, some are more familiar, with clear definitions and guidance on usage. I loved it.' Dr Bernard Lamb, President of the Queen's English Society
Praise for How To Sound Clever:
'This admirable book is a wholly welcome antidote to the semi-demi-literacy of the 21st century. Go out and buy it!
Colin Dexter Author of the Inspector Morse novels
'How to Sound Clever is a jaunty romp through the groves of vocabulary, conducted with plenty of irony and wit, as the title would suggest. The 600 words are chosen with real judgement: these are not recherche heirlooms, dragged out of disuse for their curiosity value, but words on the fringes of the mainstream, lucidly explained. A profoundly agreeable book, full of charm.'
Will Le Fleming English Teacher, St Paul's School, London
'Entertaining, well-researched and informative, this is the sort of book into which one is irresistibly drawn to dip. It provides many a surprise and gives rise to many a smile.'
David Colman Former Head of Modern Languages, Eton College
About Hubert Van Den Bergh
Hubert van den Bergh has worked in the City for the past decade. A language enthusiast, he read French and Linguistics at Oxford University. He is the author of How to Sound Clever (A&C Black, 2010) and regularly contributes to The Telegraph.
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