The average contemporary English speaker knows 50,000 words. Yet stripped down to its origins, this apparently huge vocabulary is in reality much smaller, derived from Latin, French and the Germanic languages. It is estimated that every year, 800 neologisms are added to the English language: acronyms (nimby), blended words (motel), and those taken from foreign languages (savoir-faire). Laid out in an A-Z format with detailed cross references, and written in a style that is both authoritati...

What is it to 'cock a snook', where is the land of Nod, and who was first to go the extra mile? Find the answers to these questions (and many more!) in the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms. This dictionary uncovers the meanings of myriad phrases and sayings that are used daily in the English language, encompassing more than 10,000 figurative expressions, similes, sayings, and proverbs. More than 400 idioms have been added to this new edition, and comprise recently co...

'Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless.' Nick Duerden, Independent.'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith, Evening Standard.The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.What is t...

Just because you don't have all the tools and training of a full-time medical examiner, doesn't mean you can't learn your way around a crime scene.In Forensics, award-winning author and TV show consultant D.P. Lyle, M.D., takes each area of forensicsfrom fingerprint analysis to crime scene reconstructionand discusses its development, how the science works, how it helps in crime solving, and how you as a writer might use this technique in crafting your plot. This comprehe...

In the context of a short story, every sentence, every word must serve a specific purpose. That's why the writers who have mastered this form -- Flannery O'Connor, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Raymond Carver -- are often afforded the highest critical praise. In Short Story Writing: A Practical Treatise on the Art of the Short Story, Charles Raymond Barrett offers simple, straightforward tips and advice that will help any aspiring author sharpen their short-story writing skills.

Basic Irish: A Grammar and Workbook provides a jargon-free introduction to the most commonly used grammatical structures within the Irish language. Focusing on the repeated use of grammatical patterns, this Workbook develops an understanding of the structures presented, making the forms familiar and automatic for learners.This user-friendly workbook includes:terminology introduced and explained with multiple examplesexercises in the grammat...

Lynda Mugglestone's hugely popular The Oxford History of English is now updated and entirely reset in a new edition featuring David Crystal's new take on the future of English in the wider world. In accounts made vivid with examples from a vast range of documentary evidence that includes letters, diaries, and private records, fifteen scholars trace the history of English from its ancient Indo-European origins to the present. They cover the language's versions, written and spoken, revel in ...

Some are born notorious.Others have notoriety thrust upon them.Few realize that their morning mouthwash bears the name of a life- saving British baron or that their sugary graham crackers would be abhorred by the health-food fanatic who concocted the flavorless original recipe. Throughout history, the proper names of figures both noble and notorious have slipped into the common and uncommon corners of our vocabulary. Tawdry Knickers and Other Unfortunate...

The urge to say yes and please everyone around you can be overwhelming. This can be rooted in our desire to maintain our self-image, but is a product of chronically low self-esteem. The truth in life is that you must know the correct timing and Learning How to Say No When You Usually Say Yes.

This Critical Perspectives on Language Teaching Materials brings together a collection of critical voices on the subject of language teaching materials for use in English, French, Spanish, German and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classrooms.

The inspiring stories of 5 people who changed history.Contents:Leonardo da Vinci who painted the Mona LisaChristopher Wren who rebuilt LondonAntoni Gaudí who built the Sagrada Familia in BarcelonaPablo Picasso, the famous Spanish painterFrida Kahlo, the famous Mexican female artistBRITISH ENGLISHWord count: 10,172Headword count: 941PLUS: visit www.collinselt.com/readers for videos, teacher resources and self-study mat...

Research and Qualitative Interviews brings into focus the decisions that the interviewer faces by taking a data-led approach in order to open up choices and decisions in the process of planning for, managing, analysing and representing interviews. The chapters concentrate on the real-time, moment-by-moment nature of interview management and interaction. A key feature of the book is the inclusion of reflexive vignettes that foreground the voices and experience of qualitative researchers (bo...