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Biogeochemistry of Environmentally Important Trace Elements (Acs Symposium Series)
Yong Cai , and
Olin C. Braids
Manufacturer: An American Chemical Society Publication
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ASIN: 0841238057 |
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Biogeochemistry of Environmentally Important Trace Elements discusses fate, transport, and transformation in soils, waters, and plants in biogeochemistry of environmentally important trace elements, with a focus on arsenic, mercury, and selenium.
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Environmental Chemistry of Selenium (BOOKS IN SOILS, PLANTS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT SERIES)
WILLIAM T., ED. FRANKENBERGER
Manufacturer: CRC
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Selenium in the Environment (Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment)
ASIN: 0824701364 |
Book Description
"Written as a complement to the definitive work selenium in the Environment (Marcel Dekker, Inc.). Presents basic and the most recent applied research developments in selenium remediation-emphasizing field investigations as well as covering topics from analytical methods and modeling to regulatory aspects from federal and state perspectives. "
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Occurrence & Distrib Selenium (CRC Series in Agriculture)
IHNAT
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ASIN: 084934932X |
Book Description
A comprehensive and critical assessment of selenium levels in both natural and man-made materials and systems is presented in this publication. The book begins with a treatment of the chemistry and analytical chemistry of the element and an important discussion of the status and reliability of analytical data together with the approach to be followed in extracting, managing and presenting the information. An in-depth treatment of selenium is arranged according to groupings of the different materials and systems. Each chapter discusses the occurrence of selenium in and distribution among components of the specified system. Additionally, easy reference compilations of concentration data based on critical assessment of the selenium literature are provided, along with a comprehensive listing of the pertinent literature. The book concludes with chapters on the biogeochemistry of selenium in natural systems. Throughout, consideration is given to both total selenium and its compounds.
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Selenium (Environmental Health Criteria Ser. 58)
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Selenium in the Environment (Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment)
Frankenberger
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Environmental Chemistry of Selenium (BOOKS IN SOILS, PLANTS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT SERIES)
ASIN: 0824789938 |
Book Description
Discusses the biochemical and geological cycling of selenium (Se), its worldwide distribution, and the factors controlling its fate and transport within and between major environmental media, presenting a global assessment of selenium's complex environmental behaviour. The focus of this work is upon Se management and remediation strategies.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, published by Soil & Water Conservation Society on November 1, 1993. The length of the article is 3089 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the supplier: Plants able to take up selenium (Se) could help reduce selenium concentrations in soils in the western US. Semi-arid land in the western US has become contaminated with Se as a result of intensive agriculture and excessive irrigation. Germplasm from Brassica species growing in saline soils in Pakistan and India is being collected to determine whether Brassica or a brassica cultivar could be grown in the US to absorb Se and reduce soil Se levels. Problems of disease and the disposal of plants with Se accumulations must be considered.
Citation Details
Title: In search of Brassica germplasm in saline semi-arid and arid regions of India and Pakistan for reclamation of selenium-laden soils in the U.S.
Author: G.S. Banuelos
Publication:
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1993
Publisher: Soil & Water Conservation Society
Volume: v48
Issue: n6
Page: p530(5)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, published by Soil & Water Conservation Society on November 1, 1997. The length of the article is 5156 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the author: Key words: phytoremediation, selenium, volatilization.
Citation Details
Title: Phytoremediation of selenium laden soils: a new technology.
Author: G.S. Banuelos
Publication:
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1997
Publisher: Soil & Water Conservation Society
Volume: v52
Issue: n6
Page: p426(5)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
For nearly a century, the Boston Red Sox played the underdog to the indomitable New York Yankees in what ESPN named the number-one sports rivalry of all time. But in 2004 the snakebitten Sox finally got their revenge. After Aaron Boone's history-making Homeric blast, which sent the Red Sox packing in October 2003, and the infamous deal that put A-Rod, baseball's highest-paid player, in pinstripes, the age-old rivalry escalated to dizzying new heights. The result was a season in which a plucky team of comeback kids improbably brought down the House That Ruth Built and went on to right eighty-six years of jinxed history by winning Boston's first World Series since 1918. From right on the frontlines, from the front office to the bleachers, Dan Shaughnessy goes inside to chronicle this unforgettable journey, revealing how a self-described band of "idiots" was able to accomplish what eighty-five teams before it couldn't -- or didn't. We witness the colorful antics of baseball's best-known stars, the dramatic play on the field punctuated by bench-clearing brawls, and the cold war-style battle being waged behind the scenes. We sit alongside young Theo Epstein as he tries to settle in to one of baseball's most scrutinized jobs. We watch with the Red Sox brass into the wee hours of the night as the Yankees come almost unbearably close (again) to squashing Sox dreams. We join the players on the wild ride to redemption, replete with Jesus in the outfield, a lunar eclipse, and a bloodied sock on the mound. We also come to understand in an intimate way what it's like to be caught up in all of this as a fan. With lively reporting, penetrating insight, and a keen sense of history, Shaughnessy brings the 2004 season alive in all its glory, drama, and euphoria, definitively recounting a sports saga that will long be etched in the minds and hearts of baseball fans around the world.
Customer Reviews:
Is Everyone Reading The Same Book.......2007-07-24
Usually when a book gets ripped (and I have ripped many), it is for factual errors, sloppiness, prejudice. But I have never seen such animosity towards an author.
Now Dan Shaughnessy keeps a high profile with his writing in the Globe, TV appearances and books. And like any opinionated writer, he gets his share of critics, that is legit. But not the vilness of the personal attacks.
I work a few blocks from Yankee Stadium and had in-laws in Brookline, Mass who were Red Sox fanatics. I see both sides of the rivalry.
I always liked Shaughnessy, he always treats his readers with respect for their intelligence. And he has always treated the "company line" with great cynicism.
That said, if you want a blow-by-blow account of each game of the 2004 season, move elsewhere. The book is much more an overview and it eventually becomes evident that the author has much more access to the front office people than to the players. It is also a book that maintains its perspective at all times.
The book is immensely interesting, partly because of the story but mostly because Shaughnessy is simply a wonderful writer. You feel like he is talking to you as you are reading it.
I always ignored catch-phrases and curses. In 2004, the Red Sox became the best team in baseball. Their comeback in the Yankee series thrills me to this day. This book is not the only book for that team, but it is certainly a must-have.
Curse is a misnomer.......2005-12-01
The idea that the Red Sox were cursed because Harry Frazee sold the Bambino to finance a show is a misnomer at best, and a sincere lack of honesty at worst. The true reason the Red Sox failed to win a World Series title in 86 years was due to ethnic racism, pure and simple. The Red Sox had Jackie Robinson tryout in Fenway Park and commented that Robinson was a great hitter, but it was "too bad that he was colored". They also watched Willie Mays in a tryout and passed up the opportunity to sign him. They refused to have a young Henry Aaron tryout for the team when they found out he was colored. That is how the old Boston Braves were able to sign Aaron in 1952 to play for them (albeit in Milwaukee) and the fabled cross town rivals were not. Racism was the true curse of the Boston Red Sox. Boston has had a serious problem with racial hatred in the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury for decades and refusing to acknowledge this problem leads the naive to assume that there could be any relationship to the trade of Babe Ruth to the NY Yankees and the 86 year drought of a World Series championship. Pure, utter nonsense. Racism was their curse.
More royalty checks for Dan, but the book still stinks.......2005-11-30
Dan Shaughnessy is a decent writer. The unfortunate thing is, he knows that and uses that power to terrible ends. The entire purpose of the book is to tear down a fictional curse that he made up to sell another book! How convenient that he can now give us this drivel to provide a sequel to the original piece of garbage!
Don't get me wrong, the writing isn't bad. But the negativity is. If you've read any of his Boston Globe columns, you've certainly noticed it; if you haven't, don't start now. Snide remarks, cynical spin-doctoring...does the guy know how to be happy about anything?
If you must read the book, check it out of the library. It's an okay overview of the 2004 season and the World Series win, but it sure won't make Red Sox fans happily reminisce. Instead, it'll probably make them angrily reminisce about Theo Epstein's stunning resignation a few weeks ago and exactly who was responsible for that (HINT HINT). Please don't buy this book; you'll just be giving this jerk royalty checks and encouraging him to write more of this rubbish.
Okay.......2005-09-30
In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit straight away that I'm not a fan of Dan Shaughnessy. Having read his columns in the Globe sports page, I'm come away with the impression that while he is very intelligent, he is also an extreemly negative person. Having said that, Shaughnessy puts together a fair telling the story of the 2004 Red Sox. Having covered the team day to day, he is able to provide some insight at the managerial and ownership level; example: their fustrations with Garciaparra and fears of a fan backlash if the trade didn't turn the teams around. Overall though, the story he tells was somewhat dry and seems to fail in portraying to the reader how much fun this team was to watch. He also provides virtually no insight from the player perspective. This may be due to his unpoularity among the players for his often harsh columns. Overall a fair telling that I could recommend to someone interested in the topic who didn't have daily access to the Boston sports writers during that period.
Interesting for the pre-playoff info.......2005-08-21
Dan Shaughnessy is an excellent sportswriter and one of the few reasons to still buy the Boston Globe. If you've ever heard him on the radio you will notice that the tone of the book is the same as the tone of his voice.
This book explores the magical season of the sox, but doesn't focuse so much on the magic as the trial and tribulations that got the sox there. The fact that the focus is not on the games that every sox fan has already memorized and instead on the background makes it a better book.
The players , the front offce are treated as people and their foibles rather than on the images. His handling of the Nomar trade is excellent. He rightly declares the trade the pivitol moment of the season and produces the stats to back it up.
I'm not sure if it is a vital addition to your Baseball or Red Sox library, but it will be a welcome one.
Book Description
The best-selling sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy preserves baseball history for all posterity in his absorbing account of the Red Sox's championship season, the season that capped a story eighty-six years in the making. A more epic sports saga could not have been invented: the curse that began with Babe Ruth; the bitter Yankees-Sox standoff, which ESPN named the number one sports rivalry of all time; and a team of comeback kids determined to prove their mettle. With unparalleled access, a keen sense of history, and penetrating insight, Shaughnessy captures the season in all its drama and euphoria. "Even the voracious reader of all things Red Sox will find richness," as Bill Nowlin noted in the Boston Globe, but sports fans who have never set foot in Fenway Park will also appreciate Shaughnessy's insider vantage. With full-color photos by the Pulitzer Prizewinning photographer Stan Grossfeld, Reversing the Curse is the definitive record of the single greatest sports story of our lifetime.
Product Description
This special 2-cd album entitled Reversing Self-Invited Curses teaches how your words may be bringing on your troubles.
The Bible contains several strange examples of people who brought a self-invited curse upon themselves or their families. Today, the actions and choices of people may be bringing self-invited curses. This 2-hour CD set explores the Biblical teaching on curses and how to reverse any self-invited or Satanic curses you may be under.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from New Life Journal, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2007. The length of the article is 2369 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Reversing the X chromosome curse: learn more about the chronic diseases that target women, and discover new approaches to their treatment.(Women's Health)
Author: Maggie Cramer
Publication:
New Life Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 8
Issue: 7
Page: 8(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Product Description
4 cassette tapes in clamshell case.
Book Description
There are three types of Japanese script-katakana, hiragana, and kanji. It is possible to read Japanese knowing only a limited number of kanji, but it is not possible with only a limited number of katakana or hiragana-one must know all of them. Let's Learn Hiragana, and its companion volume
Let's Learn Katakana, is a textbook that introduces the learner to the basics of one of these fundamental Japanese scripts. Being a workbook, it contains all the exercises that allow the student to master hiragana by the time the book has been finished. Let's Learn Hiragana is a classic in the
field, and the huge number of students that have used it successfully is a sign of its preeminence as a self-study guide.
Customer Reviews:
Very good study aid.......2007-08-08
While taking a Basic Japanese course I was having difficulty remembering my hiragana. The lessons are helpful and easy to complete. The crossword puzzle was a great challenge! When I finished this book I aced my written and oral tests. I even began to read Japanese magazines and books with basic hiragana. Along with my class lessons this book helped me a lot!! Now I'm doing the 'Let's learn Katakana' book. They should make a 'Let's Learn Kanji' book!!
Simple, Easy and Fast.......2007-07-03
I've been struggling with hiragana for quite a while before i discovered this book on this website. I read previous reviews and almost all agreed on one fact: This book is a must-have for japanese language learners.
In less than 14 days, i was able to read all the hiragana characters. Wow! I didn't know it could be so easy!!! now i'm learning the katakana characters, of course, from the SAME author.
Very useful!.......2007-06-27
I've been looking for a good book so that I can start to teach myself how to write Japanese characters, and to my surprize this book really did the trick. I personally am not taking any other Japanese classes, nor have I had any in the past, but I love reading manga and really wanted to see if I could try to read the originals. So it became a hobby really, and this book has really aided me in my goal to read Japanese!
An easy way to learn Hiragana.......2007-01-29
Although you do need to practice outside of this book as well, Let's Learn Hiragana has a nice set-up so it's easy to understand and work through. There's an introduction about the usage of hiragana and an overview of what's in the book, then there's sections for groups of ten morae. I've only had time to finish two sections, but with outside practice and the worksheet, I've already memorized the twenty. A great way to start learning the kana system!
Learning Hiragan made easy.......2007-01-12
Although I'm following the Japanese for Busy people approach to learning Japanese, the Let's Learn Hiragana and Katakana books are very good.
Both books break down the Kana into groups. Stroke (or brush) order and direction are detailed, which if you want to be accurate with your written work, this is a must! Additional information about the Kana, how it is used and combined are all explained in simple to understand English.
The books are designed for self-learning (no teacher), and I believe they are simple enough to do this.
Average customer rating:
- Finally.....proof that Japanese writing is learnable!
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Let's Learn Hiragana & Katakana: Two Books of Basic Japanese Writing/Boxed Set
Yasuko Kosaka Mitamura
Manufacturer: Kodansha International (JPN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 4770016697 |
Customer Reviews:
Finally.....proof that Japanese writing is learnable!.......2003-06-15
When I purchased these two books, I learned that Japanese writing (except for Kanji) makes absolute sense. The authors set the characters up into a grid with vowels across and consonants down so that the student can easily memorize the sounds and characters. It's sort of like the multiplication table, but is set up like a primer for kindergarten children learning to read and write. This book helped me learn all of the characters before starting the Japanese class. What a fabulously logical setup. Love it, love it, love it! And no, I'm not selling my copies. Sorry!
Book Description
This comprehensive dictionary of common misusages lays bare the mistakes we all make every day. Robert Hartwell Fiske, the grumbling grammarian of our time, shows you the definitive right way and wrong way to use language--and illustrates why dictionaries don't always provide the correct meaning or usage of a word.
Eliminate laxity in language today by learning from this witty and engaging reference that not only provides you with correct usages, but also explains the worst malapropian sins of public figures and major publications.
Customer Reviews:
Is this the best prescriptivists can muster?.......2005-09-26
Perusing this book is like shopping at a flea market. You might find some treasures if you have the temperament to dig past mounds of junk. The junk? Easily half of this book is dedicated to otiose insults (inexpedient attempts to shame diction dolts into changing their illiterate ways). The treasures? Unless you are a linguist - perhaps even if you are one - you will find words that you have been misusing all of your life (out of the 673 words in this dictionary, I found 102 words that I myself misuse). Even if you choose not to heed Fiske's guidance, at least now you can do so deliberately, rather than ignorantly.
You will probably careen rather than career though this book. Sadly, you might exasperatedly toss this book in the trash for being so poorly written. A well-written reference book indents the essential points that you should learn. Fiske, however, does the opposite. Fiske indents lists of statements that he considers to be unforgivable. Mistakenly believing that these lists summarize CORRECT usage, you must abruptly stop, unlearn, and re-read the lists while mentally adding "is false" to each entry. Similarly, your eye (and mind) will be yanked back and forth while attempting to decipher each entry in this dictionary. With two exceptions, each entry begins with a misused word, followed by a statement about how it is misused. From there, Fiske gives sentences that misuse the word. Often, an example is so long that you will have forgotten what word was misused. After you are finally given the correction of the sentence, you must go backwards, locate the wrong word, and mentally replace it with the correct word. On page 167, Fiske opens one of his entries as follows: "[[ IMMANENT ]] Misused for imminent. * Immanent means about to happen. * USE Imminent. *" How confusing! All of my colleagues (mostly scientists, not linguists) who looked at Fiske's book commented that Fiske's illogical writing style yanked them back and forth to discern what was right and what was wrong. Eventually, the dedicated reader will become accustomed to Fiske's decision to alphabetize incorrectly used words, with each entry then citing the intended word, followed by examples that use the wrong word. But suddenly (pow!), Fiske has two entries (MORAL and MORBID) that violate this structure, once again bewildering and annoying anyone who values parallel structure.
This dictionary emerges from the laudable "prescriptivist" philosophy, which holds that dictionaries should record how language OUGHT to be used. Fiske asserts that permissive "descriptivist" lexicographers, who record only how language (right or wrong) actually IS used, are ushering the English language into chaos. Personally, I think Fiske is right, but his book does little to rectify the problem. Fiske fails to recognize that his priggish style undermines the prescriptivist's desire for people to obey rules of grammar and usage. Fiske calls attention to numerous solecisms in grammar or usage. How ironic it is that he seems to have forgotten that "solecism" also means "barbarism; impropriety; absurdity; a socially awkward or tactless act". In this sense, Fiske's book is a solecism. Quoting himself (as he is wont to do), Fiske says that "Nothing so patently accessible as usage could ever be justly called invidious." True, but why does Fiske fixate on the unjustness of it all? Fiske is clearly aware that diction dolts are not motivated by aesthetics or any moral responsibility to preserve the English language. Why then does he continue to appeal to these noble sensibilities in his efforts to turn the tide?
Quoting himself, Fiske states that "Persuasion has lost much of its sway, conviction, much of its claim." Fiske recognizes that "...there are few words that inspire us...", but he fails to analyze the effectiveness of his own words. People who have ALREADY decided to improve their grammar and usage will find Fiske's book helpful. Assuming, however, that Fiske's target audience (which he never clearly defines) are those who are guilty of grammatical solecisms, this book fails miserably. Diction dolts don't share Fiske's values. Anyone trained in rhetoric knows that the art of persuasion requires appealing NOT to one's own values, but to the values of those to be converted.
After Fiske's intellectual pleas fail, he childishly resorts to hurling oh-so-clever insults at the grammar transgressors. Did Fiske not learn in kindergarten about the ineffectiveness of sticks-n-stones? Persuasion is marketing. Marketing is sinister only when peddling an abomination, which is not the case here where the "product" is good grammar. Successful businesses don't offend their customers. As anyone who has sold weight-control products can attest, showing empathy and instilling hope is the only way to inspire an audience. Fiske is selling a worthy product, not a sham, but that does not mean his cause cannot benefit from basic marketing principles. He needs to show empathy by acknowledging that his readers are experts in SOMETHING (football, Hollywood gossip, physics, whatever), and that acquiring their expertise probably made them neglect grammar and usage along the way for lack of time or energy. Fiske could earn points by showing some regret that his own tunnel vision for linguistics has perhaps denied him the pleasures of competence in other specialty areas (such as social skills). Fiske needs to inspire hope by congratulating the reader for even looking at his book, and then he should offer his lessons without appending them with backhanded insults.
People who, like Fiske, uncreatively argue their case by using intimidation and scornfulness naturally become the target of reciprocal insults and attacks on their credibility. To avoid being dismissed as a "wizened fuddy-duddy", Fiske must be as "excruciatingly correct" as he claims to be. My review of Fiske's book concludes now with a bit of the schadenfreude that most people feel when pointing out the curmudgeon's errors and oversights. Specifically, the following unordered list points out several ways in which Fiske's credibility could be attacked by his opposition:
* Fiske's pronunciation of perspicacious [p. 338] is wrong.
* After stating that "fulsome" is misused for insincere, Fiske goes on to define fulsome to mean insincere [p. 141]. He should have said that fulsome is misused for effusive.
* Fiske's confusing definition of "gentile" [p. 144] fails to include the simplest one: "a person who is not a member of one's own religion".
* Evidence of poor proofreading includes: p. 109, "Qwing to" should be "Owing to"; p. 273, the "S" is not centered.
* Fiske [p. 198] uses the non-word "userers" (should be usurers)
* Fiske sloppily includes "for oneself" in his definition of arrogate, making his example "to arrogate for oneself" redundant.
* Fiske [p. 252] erringly gives the pronunciation of "pronunciation" as pro-NUN-see-a-shen (should be pro-nun-si-AY-shen)
* Fiske [p. 177] states that "enarmored by" should be replaced with "enamored by". However, a die-hard traditionalist would call for "enamored of."
* Fiske is guilty of innumeracy (p.17) by publishing results of a biased unscientific survey (readers of Vocabula Review)
* If this is a dictionary of disagreeable English, why then is it subtitled as a compendium of correct grammar?
* The space wasted on insults could be replaced by traditionalist guidance on an expanded list of words. A revised edition would be improved by including the following: whole-nuther, adviser vs. advisor, quote-unquote (as in "my quote-unquote boyfriend"), only (as a misplaced modifier); acceleration vs. velocity vs. speed vs. high-rate-of-speed; oratory vs. hortatory; Xerox vs. zerox; misspelling of manger (perform a web search on "Away in a manager" to see why this is a problem); misspelling levee (search for "Katrina, levy"); jibe (search for "doesn't jive"); formative (search for "formidable years"); myriad (misused as a noun); migrate (in addition to immigrate and emigrate).
* Fiske [p. 312] reviles excessive use of the word "very," yet his credibility is really very corrupted by Emily Shetler's quote of Fiske saying "Descriptivists and laxicographers have really had their day. I really want to upset them. I want them to know that their purpose in life is really questionable." Did Fiske REALLY say this?
* Fiske fails to typeset naïve with its umlaut.
* The text [p. 35] refers us to an entry for "attendee," but no such entry exists.
* Quoting the sentence, "Vegan items are marked with a carrot...", Fiske [p. 71] claims incorrectly that "carrot" should be replaced with "caret" - does he not know what vegan means? Surely vegetarian items were indeed identified by carrot symbols, not carets (^).
* Fiske [p. 81] claims that "composes" should be replaced with "comprises" in the following sentence: "This page composes all the sentences with the polite forms." The writer clearly meant to use compose in its sense "to create". Of course, this sentence is still poorly written (only a person, not a page, can compose sentences).
* Fiske quotes only himself in a positive light. His quotes of others are invariably negative. An Amazon reviewer whose "real name" is R. Fiske (and who writes like Fiske) naturally gave Fiske's books five stars. As an expert in diction, there are plenty of other books that this person is qualified to review, so why doesn't he?
Fear the grammar curmudgeon!.......2005-03-09
I find the prospect of reviewing "The Dictionary of Disagreeable English: A Curmudgeon's Compendium of Excruciatingly Correct Grammar," by Robert Hartwell Fiske, intimidating. However painful it would be to be the object of his scorn, however, it's undeniably entertaining to see him take others to task. The "Dictionary" starts off with a lovely rant about "The Decline of the Dictionary," in which Mr. Fiske bemoans the fact that so many dictionaries attempt to describe current usage, incorporating incorrect grammar and spelling, rather than setting down proper usage. He rips into Merriam-Webster with a long list of examples of "inexcusably shoddy dictionary making," including the addition of "tho" as a variant spelling of "though" and the pronouncement that "flaunt" means the same as "flout" or "infer" means the same as "imply."
Most of the book consists of a dictionary of misused, misspelled, and mispronounced words. Some of them surprised me; I was a little shocked to find out that, for example, people often misuse "accelerate" in place of "exhilarate." Other entries made me cringe when I realized I'd been misusing them myself; I can't remember any examples at the moment--I suspect I've blocked them out so as to spare myself the embarrassment of having to recount them in this review.
It would be enough to have this wonderfully useful dictionary at hand. I certainly plan to keep my copy near to where I work, so I can hopefully reduce the amount of "disagreeable English" to be found in my own writing. The book is made all the more entertaining, however, through the use of boxed examples from real writers' and speakers' work, always presented with an entertaining cartoon of a frustrated or exasperated "grammar curmudgeon." The book is very recent--it was published in 2005--and it uses up-to-date examples that will appeal to the modern reader.
The only mild negative I can think of is that occasionally I wished for a little more clarification when two terms seemed very similar in meaning. The format typically consists of examples of the misusage, followed by an explanation of the differences between the words involved. Some of these entries would have benefited from further examples of the correct usage of the words in question.
This book is just plain fun for grammar curmudgeons and invaluable for those with imperfect grammar.
Precision of Language: What a wonderful idea!.......2004-11-20
Robert Hartwell Fisk definitely warrants his (self-described?) label of curmudgeon; and I say that with great admiration. If you have a long list of grammatical pet peeves, his Dictionary of Disagreeable English will furnish you with an entertaining source for putting people right. If you couldn't care less about precise English, don't bother. But if you appreciate the appropriateness of "couldn't" as opposed to the ghastly "could care less" that has become so common today, then buy this book in quantity and give it to all of your friends!
It is a bit intimidating to write a review of this book, as there is the fear of provoking a mild (or worse) response from the author regarding errors within the review, however I will try. Fisk provides evidence of errors that range from common misspellings and mispronunciations to such flagrant misuse of words that their meanings are completely distorted. I was gratified to find the a number of words and phrases that rank among my linguistic pet peeves, and I was shocked to discover too many errors of my own usage.
Mr. Fisk chooses his targets carefully, with wit and sarcasm -[...]- such that you can't help but lose time moving from one entry to the next. He provides examples of each mistaken use, followed by a suggestion that would make the sentence more precise.
Interestingly enough, he does not appear to favor a return to the language of the Victorians. He readily acknowledges that English is a living language, and he even makes a few allowances for the "creative" use of words by some technical disciplines. Nonetheless he loudly denounces what I might call Dilbertarian business-speak at every opportunity. He even coins a new word of his own, "lexicographers" to refer to dictionaries and editors that are all to willing to bend to the noise of popular vocabulary, at the expense of clear communication.
Congratulations Mr. Fisk! Fight on... and fight well!
Descriptivists Have Had Their Day.......2004-11-14
From the Introduction
A catalog of confusions
Lexicographers are descriptivists, language liberals. The use of "disinterested" to mean "uninterested" does not displease a descriptivist. A prescriptivist, by contrast, is a language conservative, a person interested in maintaining standards and correctness in language use. To prescriptivists, "disinterested" in the sense of "uninterested" is the mark of uneducated people who do not know the distinction between the two words. And if there are enough uneducated people saying "disinterested" (and I'm afraid there are) when they mean "uninterested" or "indifferent," lexicographers enter the definition into their dictionaries. Indeed, the distinction between these words has all but vanished owing largely to irresponsible writers and boneless lexicographers.
Words, we are told, with the most citations are included in the Merriam-Webster dictionaries. Are then words with the fewest omitted, or in danger of being omitted? Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary includes "alright," but what word was not included so that an inanity, an illiteracy like "alright" could be kept in? "Boeotian" is not defined in Merriam-Webster's; nor is "diaskeuast" defined; nor "logogogue"; nor "nyctophobia"; nor "myriadigamous"; nor "ubiety"; nor "womanfully"; nor hundreds of other words that a college student might find infinitely more useful than the entry, the misspelling and definition of, "alright."
All it takes for a solecism to become standard English is people misusing or misspelling the word. And if enough people do so, lexicographers will enter the originally misused or misspelled word into their dictionaries, and descriptive linguists will embrace it as a further example of the evolution of English.
Merriam-Webster's laxicographers, further disaffecting careful writers and speakers, assign the meaning "reluctant" to the definition of "reticent." "Reticent" means disinclined to speak; taciturn; quiet. "Reluctant" means disinclined to do something; unwilling; loath. Because some people mistakenly use "reticent" to mean "reluctant," dictionaries now maintain "reticent" does mean "reluctant."
Ignominies of Grammar and Usage
* abberation Misspelling of aberration. * New employment data Friday will either corroborate recent evidence showing the economy is improving, or indicate that last month's job gain was an abberation. USE aberration. * Hedman had been a player in search of one, redemptive moment that would grant him forgiveness in the eyes of the fans after his abberation in Munich. USE aberration.
Abberation is how aberrant users of the English language spell aberration. The language has its deviants, its descriptive linguists, its dictionary makers.
* enervate Solecistic for energize (or similar words). * Even the hurricanes, the torrential downpours, skies solid black with furious clouds, could do nothing but enervate and invigorate me. USE energize. * Fashion is photography's Frankenstein monster; a hideous parody of the photographic art rudely constructed with bits and pieces discarded from other art forms, which seeks not to elevate, illuminate, invigorate, enervate or inspire but exists only to serve its own purpose: to sell a rather ordinary garment at a grossly inflated price. USE energize. * Mitchell plays his curmudgeonly role with a vitality and energy that seems to enervate the rest of the cast. USE invigorate. * Any disease process anywhere in the body is affected, at least in part, by the ability of the nervous system to enervate and enliven that area. USE invigorate.
Enervate -- never innervate -- is an antonym, not a synonym, for invigorate or energize. Enervate means to weaken or enfeeble, to debilitate or deplete the energy of.
That aspect of it in particular is not to my taste, although on the whole, I believe it's been a very successful and enervating and exciting convention. -- Ben Affleck, actor
Not only did Affleck embarrass himself by saying enervating when he meant invigorating, or perhaps, energizing, he, embarrassing himself further, chided one or two people he was talking to when they questioned his use of the word. It's all too dreadfully benervating.
* volumptuous Idiotic for voluptuous. * Our glamour sets are for the woman who wants to create a volumptuous lip. USE voluptuous. * On October 8, 1997 an astonishingly large, volumptuous pumpkin appeared nestled atop Cornell's McGraw Tower. USE voluptuous. * Sensual, volumptuous actress Gina Lollobrigida (born Luigina Lollobrigida) was a sex symbol in her native Italy before becoming a Hollywood star. USE voluptuous. * I'm 5 ft tall, blue green eyes, long brown hair, and volumptuous. USE voluptuous.
Voluptuous means full of, characterized by, or producing delight or pleasure to the senses; suggesting sensual pleasure by fullness and beauty of form; fond of or directed toward the enjoyments of luxury, pleasure, or sensual gratifications. Volumptuous, except among lumpen lexicographers, means nothing at all; it is not a word.
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