Picture of author.

Ross Petras

Autor(a) de Very Bad Poetry

46 Works 1,884 Membros 43 Críticas

About the Author

Kathryn and Ross Petras are business authors and consultants with experience in both the public and private sectors. Their most recent book is The Only Job Hunting Guide You'll Ever Need.

Includes the name: Petras Ross

Image credit: via Workman Publishing

Séries

Obras por Ross Petras

Very Bad Poetry (1997) 213 exemplares
The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said (1993) 208 exemplares
The Lexicon of Stupidity (2005) 119 exemplares
Mythology : tales and legends of the Gods (1998) — Autor — 64 exemplares
The 776 Nastiest Things Ever Said (1995) 40 exemplares
Stupid Sex (1998) 38 exemplares
Mummies : gods & pharaohs (2000) 24 exemplares
Stupid Celebrities (1998) 18 exemplares
The Over-40 Job Guide (1993) 6 exemplares
100 Stupidest Things Ever Done (1997) 6 exemplares
Inside Track - V339 (1986) 5 exemplares
An Insult-a-Day 2012 Calendar (2011) 4 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1956-02-15
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
USA
Ocupações
writer
Relações
Petras, Kathryn (sister)

Membros

Críticas

Better than average bathroom reading.
½
 
Assinalado
harryo19 | 4 outras críticas | Nov 14, 2023 |
My 'discovery' of this book is a perfect example for the argument of using a continuity of style on book covers. A year or two ago, I bought and read You're Saying it Wrong, a book about commonly mispronounced words, and loved it (I've been saying Turmeric and Van Gogh wrong all. my. life.) I recognised the similar cover on this, the authors' newest, and immediately snatched it up.

I should really rate this 4.5 stars, because in retrospect, I can recall several typographical and at least 1 grammatical error in the text, which seems especially egregious in a book about grammar. But I suppose perfection is an unreasonable expectation even for a grammar book. Actually, I don't believe that, but I am too lazy to adjust my rating.

Other than that, it's an excellent reference for word pairs that are often confused with each other, including the obvious affect/effect as well as some I'd never thought about before but were obvious when I saw them, like trooper/trouper, flair/flare and flout/flaunt. Also included are words/terms that are just used wrong, like epicentre and ambivalent.

Scattered throughout the list are a few spreads that cover when to use who/whom, the correct usage of lay/lie (I found their explanation for this the most useful I've ever read), and a general guide for latin and greek plurality: when to use 'i', 'a', 'ae', and 's'. This one sort of cleared up a running debate MT and I have had concerning the plural of 'platypus' - while we both favoured 'platypi' on aesthetic grounds (it sounds better than 'platypuses', which is what the local sanctuary has settled on), it would seem logical to follow the same rule used for 'octopus', which is 'octopodes'. I find this a happy compromise (MT is stubbornly sticking to the incorrect but more melodious platypi).

Each entry includes an example of the incorrect usage, the etymological history of the word/words, and most of the time, examples of correct usage for each word as well as basic definitions of each (nb: the author's state upfront that this is based on the North American dialect of English). It's well written, not dry, and informative. It will be a handy reference in the future when I'm unsure which word to use.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
murderbydeath | 1 outra crítica | Jan 29, 2022 |
We all know those words or phrases that people say wrong and it gets on our nerves. And we also have those words that we say, and we're just not sure if we're saying it's right. And where do some of these seemingly nonsensical words and idioms come from?

Ross and Kathryn Petras have assembled 150 commonly mispronounced words and phrases in the English language in one comprehensive resource. In addition to providing the common mispronunciations and the correct way to say it, they provide historical context and anecdotes to go along with it. In a nonjudgemental fashion, the authors present the correct way to say it and why.

So whether it's those misstatements that bug you (mine: anyway, bruschetta, Daylight Saving Time, for all intents and purposes, irregardless, mascarpone, utmost) or the ones you didn't know you were staying wrong (mine: electoral, homage, spit and image), it's all here. It's also a quick read, so why not pick it up and give it a chance. It will validate your pet peeves and teach you a thing or two in the process.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
crtsjffrsn | 5 outras críticas | Aug 27, 2021 |
Neat little volume containing 100 words we all see in our readings, but may not quite know what the real definitions. Some humorous takes on the words, and some good etymologies. My only request would be to include a pronunciation guide for the words (correct pronunciation is shown for several, but not most) - this is particularly important since we (at least me) run into these words in the written form far more often than the oral form. All-in-all, a nice little volume and who knows, maybe there will be a 2nd 100 words smart people should know!… (mais)
 
Assinalado
jsoos | Jul 1, 2020 |

Prémios

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Associated Authors

Kathryn Petras Editor, Author
Mort Drucker Cover artist
Peter R. Kruzan Cover designer

Estatísticas

Obras
46
Membros
1,884
Popularidade
#13,656
Avaliação
½ 3.5
Críticas
43
ISBN
81
Línguas
2

Tabelas & Gráficos