The King’s English: A Guide to Modern Usage - Softcover

Amis, Kingsley

3.97

532 ratings by Goodreads

9780006387466: The King’s English: A Guide to Modern Usage

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006387462 ISBN 13: 9780006387466

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1998

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Posthumously published, the great man’s trenchant, provocative and authoritative guide to the use and abuse of the English language.

Sir Kingsley Amis, who died in 1995, occupied a unique position in the world of English letters: elder statesman, former angry young man, latter-day curmudgeon and, above all, comic novelist of genius. In all his work, and throughout his life, the use and abuse of the English language was one of his principal concerns. The King’s English pungently, entertainingly and concisely conveys his love and knowledge of the subject to new generations of readers and writers.

Here can be found all those linguistic pitfalls (‘crescendo’, ‘disinterested’, ‘enormity’) which lie in wait for the ignorant or the careless. And if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s acceptable to start a sentence with ‘and’, or what you risk revealing about yourself by your pronunciation of ‘liqueur’, or whether or not to cross your 7s in the French style, Amis has the answer.

By turns reflective, acerbic, combative and controversial, The King’s English will find a place on the shelves of anyone who values the English language and cares about the way in which it is used.

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Review:

‘Learned, robust, aggressive, extremely funny... Magnificent’
Sebastian Faulks, New Statesman

‘Always a delight. Consistently, enormously enjoyable’
Jonathon Green, Punch

‘Fabulously well written... marvellous’
Candia McWilliam, Independent on Sunday

From the Back Cover:

Sir Kingsley Amis occupied a unique position in the world of English letters. As well as being one of the most successful and influential novelists since the war, he was a poet, critic and prolific anthologiser. In all his work, and throughout his life, the use and abuse of the English language was one of his principal concerns. His last book, 'The King's English', entertainingly, authoritatively and concisely conveys his love and knowledge of the subject. Here can be found all those linguistic pitfalls ('crescendo', 'enormity', 'disinterested') which lie in wait for the ignorant or the careless. And if you've ever wondered whether it's acceptable to start a sentence with 'and', or what you risk revealing about yourself by your pronunciation of 'liqueur', or whether or not it's acceptable to cross your sevens in the French style, Amis has the answer. Arranged alphabetically, by turns reflective, acerbic, combative and controversial, 'The King's English' will find a place on the shelves of anyone who cares about the English language and the way in which it is used.

‘A classic in the making... there may be more comprehensive guides to English usage but there will never be a more entertaining one’
KEITH WATERHOUSE, 'Daily Mail'

‘Full of good sense, enlivened by wit... Nobody who reads it with attention will fail to benefit’
ALLAN MASSIE, 'Daily Telegraph'

‘Fabulously well written... marvellous’
CANDIA McWILLIAM, 'Independent on Sunday'

‘Engaging and choleric... savage and always enjoyable’
PHILIP HOWARD, 'The Times'

‘A delight... consistently, enormously enjoyable’
JONATHON GREEN, 'Punch'

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