A Few Words About Words

Penned by a writer who had to teach himself the rules of English grammar, A Few Words About Words offers an easy and accessible approach to understanding and using the English language. In a world dominated by countless print and social media outlets, written communication is king. Writing "your" when you mean "you're" and "there" when you mean "they're" can make the difference between getting or not getting new business. A missing comma can result in a PR catastrophe, and a well-written line can be remembered for generations. And yet, many native speakers struggle with the English language. Spawned from the widely-circulated and beloved newsletter of the same name, Joe Diorio's A Few Words About Words blends quick-witted anecdotes from more than 30 years of newsletter entries that highlight the common, uncommon, and surprising grammar mistakes most English speakers make. The result is a digestible, all-encompassing look at English grammar. For anyone who has ever wondered whether "also" should follow or precede the verb; if there's a difference between 'preventive' or 'preventative'; or whether the Oxford comma is as important as everyone says it is, this book provides relief for many common grammar anxieties. Humorous, enlightening, and completely comprehensible, A Few Words About Words will be the go-to grammar guide you pick up and can't put down.

HONORED AS A NOTABLE 100 BOOK IN THE 2021 SHELF UNBOUND BEST INDIE BOOK COMPETITION FINALIST FOR THE 2021 FOREWORD INDIES AWARDS Penned by a writer who had to teach himself the rules of English grammar, A Few Words About Words offers an easy and accessible approach to understanding and using the English language. In a world dominated by countless print and social media outlets, written communication is king. Writing "your" when you mean "you're" and "there" when you mean "they're" can make the difference between getting or not getting new business. A missing comma can result in a PR catastrophe, and a well-written line can be remembered for generations. And yet, many native speakers struggle with the English language. Spawned from the widely-circulated and beloved newsletter of the same name, Joe Diorio's A Few Words About Words blends quick-witted anecdotes from more than 30 years of newsletter entries that highlight the common, uncommon, and surprising grammar mistakes most English speakers make. The result is a digestible, all-encompassing look at English grammar. Humorous, enlightening, and completely comprehensible, A Few Words About Words will be the go-to grammar guide you pick up and can't put down.

Surveying the expanding conflict in Europe during one of his famous fireside chats in 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt ominously warned that "we know of other methods, new methods of attack. The Trojan horse. The fifth column that betrays a nation unprepared for treachery. Spies, saboteurs, and traitors are the actors in this new strategy." Having identified a new type of war -- a shadow war -- being perpetrated by Hitler's Germany, FDR decided to fight fire with fire, authorizing the formation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to organize and oversee covert operations. Based on an extensive analysis of OSS records, including the vast trove of records released by the CIA in the 1980s and '90s, as well as a new set of interviews with OSS veterans conducted by the author and a team of American scholars from 1995 to 1997, The Shadow War Against Hitler is the full story of America's far-flung secret intelligence apparatus during World War II. In addition to its responsibilities generating, processing, and interpreting intelligence information, the OSS orchestrated all manner of dark operations, including extending feelers to anti-Hitler elements, infiltrating spies and sabotage agents behind enemy lines, and implementing propaganda programs. Planned and directed from Washington, the anti-Hitler campaign was largely conducted in Europe, especially through the OSS's foreign outposts in Bern and London. A fascinating cast of characters made the OSS run: William J. Donovan, one of the most decorated individuals in the American military who became the driving force behind the OSS's genesis; Allen Dulles, the future CIA chief who ran the Bern office, which he called "the big window onto the fascist world"; a veritable pantheon of Ivy League academics who were recruited to work for the intelligence services; and, not least, Roosevelt himself. A major contribution of the book is the story of how FDR employed Hitler's former propaganda chief, Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstengl, as a private spy. More than a record of dramatic incidents and daring personalities, this book adds significantly to our understanding of how the United States fought World War II. It demonstrates that the extent, and limitations, of secret intelligence information shaped not only the conduct of the war but also the face of the world that emerged from the shadows.

"Absolutely unputdownable! Roni Loren is a new favorite."—COLLEEN HOOVER, #1 New York Times bestseller, for The One You Can't Forget New York Times and USA Today bestseller Roni Loren brings the heat in this complex story about a woman battling her anxiety, a man who seems far too good to be true, and a sizzling connection built over sweltering New Orleans nights. Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn Tate, the real face behind the media star...or the anxiety that keeps her isolated. All her life, Hollyn's tried to hide her true self behind an online façade, but when her boss tells her she needs to reveal the truth to the world or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help face her fears. Enter Jasper Deares: actor, improve star, and way, way out of her league. Hollyn thinks Jasper must be joking when he offers private lessons to help overcome her fears. Getting up on a stage? Hello, worst nightmare. But Jasper's infectious charm has her saying yes despite herself. They're only supposed to be playing a few improv games, but as the lessons run longer and the lines grow blurrier, Hollyn can't help but wonder if she's acting at all...or if a relationship with Jasper might help give her the confidence she needs to say yes to every imperfect part of herself. Readers Rave About Books By Roni Loren: "Phenomenal."—LORELEI JAMES, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Unforgettable."—KRISTEN CALLIHAN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author "Unique, swoony, and lively."—SARINA BOWEN, USA Today bestselling author "Don't let this book get away!"—M. O'KEEFE, USA Today bestselling author "A must-read."—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review for The One You Fight For

Originally published in 1987. In Words about Words about Words, Murray Krieger advances his ongoing dialogue with the rich diversity of contemporary literary theory and elaborates on his own position as it grows out of an opposing relation to much of current criticism. Krieger examines the kinds of ideologies and ontologies smuggled into literary theory that purports to be anti-ideological and anti-ontological. He explores the extent to which critical fashions dictate the development of theory and the reasons why particular theories exclude certain kinds of literary works in favor of others. Under such circumstances, Krieger asks, What becomes of the critic's task of evaluation? Further, what is the relation of the idea of progress to criticism and the arts, and what is the effect of these notions on cultural and intellectual institutions? He seeks an alternative to the deterministic tendencies of the new historicism in viewing the relations of literature and literary criticism to society. Progressing from broad questions to more focused critical problems and close readings, Krieger reviews the aesthetic tradition as it has evolved from Kant. He engages in debate with deconstructionist critics about the role of symbol and allegory as descriptions of ways in which poems succeed or fail in constructing their verbal universe. And he argues that, for all its brilliance, deconstruction has not yet been able to fulfill the social or academic functions of the older, aesthetic-based disciplines that it set out to deconstruct.

As cast members of a reality dating show for single parent families Cara Hawn and her mother go to Key West where Cara meets Connor and now she must juggle her growing feelings while helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love.

A bestselling linguist takes us on a lively tour of how the English language is evolving before our eyes -- and why we should embrace this transformation and not fight it Language is always changing -- but we tend not to like it. We understand that new words must be created for new things, but the way English is spoken today rubs many of us the wrong way. Whether it’s the use of literally to mean “figuratively” rather than “by the letter,” or the way young people use LOL and like, or business jargon like What’s the ask? -- it often seems as if the language is deteriorating before our eyes. But the truth is different and a lot less scary, as John McWhorter shows in this delightful and eye-opening exploration of how English has always been in motion and continues to evolve today. Drawing examples from everyday life and employing a generous helping of humor, he shows that these shifts are a natural process common to all languages, and that we should embrace and appreciate these changes, not condemn them. Words on the Move opens our eyes to the surprising backstories to the words and expressions we use every day. Did you know that silly once meant “blessed”? Or that ought was the original past tense of owe? Or that the suffix -ly in adverbs is actually a remnant of the word like? And have you ever wondered why some people from New Orleans sound as if they come from Brooklyn? McWhorter encourages us to marvel at the dynamism and resilience of the English language, and his book offers a lively journey through which we discover that words are ever on the move and our lives are all the richer for it.

An inspiring and patriotic tribute to the beauty of the American flag, a symbol of America’s history, landscape, and people, illustrated by New York Times bestselling and Caldecott-honor winning artist Kadir Nelson Wonderfully spare, deceptively simple verses pair with richly evocative paintings to celebrate the iconic imagery of our nation, beginning with the American flag. Each spread, sumptuously illustrated by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson, depicts a stirring tableau, from the view of the Statue of Library at Ellis Island to civil rights marchers shoulder to shoulder, to a spacecraft at Cape Canaveral blasting off. This book is an ode to America then and now, from sea to shining sea.