Between You and I: A Little Book of Bad English

I was not sure if I dare write a review of this book. It is full of superb examples of the way the English language has been abused in recent years and I wondered if anything I might write would be so full of errors it would be a good advert for the book. Once you have read this book I think you will either put it down and say 'so what' or you will try that bit harder when writing your next document. Either way its a very interesting book and well worth taking the time to read it

Condescending and arrogant. (28/74 people found this helpful)

Seldom have I read a book that irritated me so much! Arrogant, condescending and completely without humour. I suggest James Cochrane reads Bill Bryson's "Troublesome Words" to get an idea of how it should be done.

Wonderful... a great little book (40/50 people found this helpful)

This may not be the largest or prettiest book in the world but it's all the better for it. Instead of having to wade through a mass of verbose text, the author James Cochrane has written a wonderfully acerbic account of the english language malaise that is gripping the British intelligentsia and others who should know better.

a bad little book (123/139 people found this helpful)

I am angry with myself for wasting money on this book which is subtitled "a Little Book of Bad English". I had expected to find a book full of new and old corruptions of the English language, which it is, but the content is very scant. It's composed of just a few, apparently random, examples which offer very little of educational merit. I am sure that it only sells because of the foreword by John Humphrys, but he does little for his reputation by endorsing this trivial 'stocking-filler'.

I should advise anyone seeking real substance in this area to buy "Mind the Gaffe" by R L Trask (paperback from Penguin Books, 2002) where they will find at least 5 times as many examples, with more extensive explanations for £4 less.
My subtitle for "Between You and I" would be "a Bad Little Book of English."

Between You and Me (135/146 people found this helpful)

This book is,between you and me,a little book of acerbic wit that takes a decidedly snobbish and elitist approach towards the ambiguities of English. The result is an entertaining and stimulating read as might be expected from those whose writing is pushed across the pages with a fiery arrogance.
James Cochrane rightly acknowledges that "English is a living language and must change",but it is here that problems arise. Take the word "ilk",for example. Cochrane lambastes his readers for using the word with the meaning of "like" or "kind" instead of "same",but surely this is a prime example of how the meaning of a word has changed. The same might be said of "community" or "light year". On the other hand he is without blame when dealing with the apostrophe,may and might,loathe and loath, and other conundrums of the English language.
It is precisely these controversies that make the book so stimulating;it raises questions that makes the reader react with the same verve as the author. A useful book to use in the classroom.

James Cochrane, John Humphrys

Reader Reviews:

An absolute hoot .. (68/77 people found this helpful)

Condescending and arrogant. (28/74 people found this helpful)

Wonderful... a great little book (40/50 people found this helpful)

a bad little book (123/139 people found this helpful)

Between You and Me (135/146 people found this helpful)

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