David Crystal
History
I worried this book might be kind of old-fashioned, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very pleasantly surprised.
Books about grammar and the English language can veer towards the boring side. The Story of English in 100 Words, however, does not. It helps that the format makes it extremely readable: Mr. Crystal lists all the words starting from 1 to 100, meaning you have plenty of opportunity and time to pick up the book and set it down at will.
I learned all sorts of interesting facts and I even picked up a few words I’d never heard of. Curious about the history of “robot”? How about “dude”? Or “brunch”? Then this is the book for you. There is no rhyme or reason or any sort of order in the way Mr. Crystal lists the words which makes reading really fun because you have no idea what word is coming next.
Writers or anyone who loves learning about the English language will adore this book.
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