'A whirlwind tour of the joys of English, by the master of concision and wit.' - Susie Dent
'Gyles is very funny - and never lost for words!' - Dame Judi Dench
As fans of Just a Minute know, the key to the game is knowing your way around the English language: how it works, how it's evolved, and how words connect, often in surprising ways. When it comes to the English language (and Just a Minute), Gyles Brandreth has seen it all - and now he's ready to put you through your linguistic paces, to become a Just a Minute expert yourself.
In this wildly entertaining A to Z of verbal acrobatics, Gyles takes you on a whirlwind tour of our mother tongue - from the origins of words and correct grammar and punctuation, to similes, euphemisms and record breaking tongue twisters (try getting your mouth around floccinaucinihilipification!). An idiosyncratic blend of history, word play, anecdote, and hyperbole, all in 60-second instalments, this is Gyles Brandreth at his word-perfect, Just-a-Minute best. You'll never mix your metaphors again...
| ISBN: | 9781785946820 |
| Publication date: | 26th September 2024 |
| Author: | Gyles Daubeney Brandreth, Ian Messiter, BBC Radio 4 |
| Illustrator: | Steven Appleby |
| Publisher: | BBC Books an imprint of Ebury Publishing |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 312 pages |
| Genres: |
General and world history Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology Historical and comparative linguistics Grammar, syntax and morphology |