What in the Word?
Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your
Peskiest Questions About Language
New York, San Diego: Harcourt, 2005.
(ISBN 0-15-603197-3)
Click on the title to read the book's introduction.
"Entertaining as well as informative. . . . Fun reading for verbomaniacs." —
Booklist
Are you so sure about the plural of
octopus or the difference between
i.e. and
e.g.? Do you know which word in the English language has the most definitions, or who put the
H in
Jesus H. Christ?
If you don't, be assured that Charles Harrington Elster does, and he tells all in this entertaining collection of provocative questions and authoritative answers about word and phrase origins, slang, proper style and usage, punctuation, and pronunciation. Every chapter features original brainteasers, challenging puzzles, and a trove of literary trivia, so be prepared to play while you read.
"Delightfully funny and informative. Every page is filled with amazing and amusing facts about our quirky language. The Wordbook of the Year!"
— Sol Steinmetz, coauthor of
Meshuggenary: Celebrating the World of Yiddish
"This book is at once authoritative and lively. Elster knows how to have fun."
— Bryan A. Garner, author of
Garner's Modern American Usage
"A cornucopia of linguistic fun. Fill your horn!"
— Anu Garg, creator of wordsmith.org
The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations:
The Complete Opinionated Guide
for the Careful Speaker
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999, 2005.
(ISBN-13: 978-0-618-42315-6 ISBN-10: 0-618-42315-X)
Click on the title to read the introduction.
"The best survey of the spoken field in years."
— William Safire,
The New York Times Magazine, writing of the first edition in 1999
"The most readable, sensible and prescriptive guide to the words that trip us up . . . bang your shoe on the bookseller's desk until he orders it."
— William Safire,
The New York Times Magazine, writing of the second edition in December 2005
This book is one man's informed opinion, based on a variety of reputable sources, about the proper pronunciations of hundreds of commonly mispronounced words and names. Here you will find some straight talk on where the stress should fall in
harass(ment). You will find out why so many say
nucular instead of
nuclear, why you should think twice about sounding the "t" in
often, and why the pronunciation for-TAY for
forte (strong point) is a pretentious blunder. Words that unnerve or trip up many educated speakers—
deluge, heinous, milieu, niche, plethora, clandestine, machination, philatelist, unequivocally, assuage, and
zoology are but a few examples—you will pronounce hereafter with quiet confidence. In short, you will see how to
air is human, to
ur divine.
Test of Time:
A Novel Approach to the SAT and ACT
New York, San Diego: Harcourt, 2004.
(ISBN 0-15-601137-9)
Click on the title to read an excerpt from the book and
a review by Glenda Winders of Copley News Service.
Q: What's better than a whole pile of
loathsome test-preparation books?
A: The
captivating SAT and ACT vocabulary-building novel
Test of Time.
That's right. High school students can painlessly prepare for the SAT and ACT by reading this comedy-adventure novel featuring the inimitable Mark Twain transported via the Internet from 1883 to the 21st-century campus of a
prestigious New England university. More than 2,000 essential test words are used in
context, highlighted in boldface, and defined in a convenient back-of-the-book glossary.
"
TEST OF TIME is a delight — an engaging, imaginative, beautifully written
tour de force that pays homage most appropriately to the author who knew that 'the difference between the almost right word and the right word' is 'the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.' As lively and entertaining as it is educational, this is a book Mark Twain himself would have enjoyed."
—
Shelley Fisher Fishkin, professor of English and director of American Studies, Stanford University, editor of The Oxford Mark Twain, and author of
Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture
"I am an SAT tutor and have found this book . . . valuable to my students. Charles Harrington Elster is a master of his craft; unlike some other books of this type, his vocabulary and grammar are impeccable. As a result, this book is very well written. What a great idea for a book — Mark Twain in 21st-century college America.
Test of Time is informative and entertaining." — posted at www.teen-books.com
"This compelling story . . . cleverly illuminates more than 2,000 essential test words by using them in context. If there's a college-bound youth in your life, this book will enable their comprehension by incorporating frequently encountered vocabulary words in a fast-reading story about the exploits of four college students and a garrulous, time-traveling Mark Twain. Exercises and a comprehensive glossary are incorporated, but the brilliance of this test aid is the fun, fast-reading tall tale. Highly recommended!"
— www.goodadvicepress.com
Tooth and Nail:
A Novel Approach to the SAT
Written with Joseph Elliot.
San Diego: Harcourt, Inc., 1994.
(ISBN 0-15-601382-7)
Click on the title to read an excerpt from the book.
Say goodbye to word lists and read your way to a stronger SAT vocabulary!
Tooth and Nail is a full-length mystery novel designed to teach the words that appear again and again on the SAT. The book's "novel approach" represents a complete break from the boring SAT-preparation methods of the past. Instead of struggling to learn SAT words by rote, students can easily learn them the natural way, in context. A handy glossary in the back of the book allows the reader to instantly check definitions.
Tooth and Nail offers high school students a creative, innovative, and entertaining way to build their vocabulary, improve their reading comprehension skills, and enjoy a good story all at the same time. Since 1994 this book has been a consistent bestseller, enjoyed by students, recommended by parents, and endorsed by teachers all across the country.
Verbal Advantage
New York: Random House, 2000. (ISBN 0-375-70932-0)
Click on the title to read an excerpt from the introduction.
This is a graduated, comprehensive vocabulary-building program for adults who are serious about using the English language correctly and with confidence. Mr. Elster takes you on an edifying and entertaining tour of the language, coaching you all along the way on how to use words with greater clarity, precision, and style.
Here's what they're saying about
Verbal Advantage:
"I bought your
Verbal Advantage program earlier in the year. It has had a profound effect on my life. I never realized how many words I did not know. . . . You have opened up a wonderful world to me and I find myself the new connoisseur of words at the office and at home. . . . I want to thank you for changing my life."
— Shane W. Doyle
"I’ve been reading your book
Verbal Advantage and I’ve enjoyed every word of it. It helped me improve my GRE verbal score by 160 points, and I was only in Level 4 by then!" — Carlos Anderson
"I just completed all ten levels of the
Verbal Advantage program. It was even more edifying than the advertisements promised. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I review some of the disquisitions from time to time. I'm obsessed with words!"
— Reuben Wagler
"I'm a 22-year-old immigrant from Guatemala who lives in Sunnyvale, California and goes to college. I'm writing this letter to thank you for making the
Verbal Advantage program. Building my vocabulary was a struggle at first, having to admit I don't know the exact meanings of words I hear at school. But, I am motivated when I remember what you said in
Verbal Advantage, so I don't give up. Thank you, thank you, thank you! What your program has given me is like a second chance. I don't know how I can hold tears of gratitude inside." — Danilo Salguero
"I love your
Verbal Advantage program and it has helped me immeasurably in my day-to-day endeavors. I have seen a marked difference in the way I communicate orally and in writing." — Stuart Mushala
"[
Verbal Advantage] has brought priceless personal and professional enrichment to my life. . . . I've sampled many, but
Verbal Advantage is still #1 in my book."
— Ken Nero
There's A Word for It!
A Grandiloquent Guide to Life
New York: Pocket Books, 1996.
Revised & Updated Edition published July 2005.
(ISBN 978-1-4165-1086-4)
(ISBN 1-4165-1086-9)
Click on the title to take a grandiloquent quiz and read a selection of light verse from the book.
"Those who devour words will feast on it."
— Diane White,
Boston Globe
"Charming and at times hysterical." —
Booklist
"Words you never knew you needed—until now."
—
San Diego Magazine
This is not simply another book about obscure English words. It's an open-armed invitation to go on a mischievous, quirky, madcap expedition through the depths of our unabridged dictionaries, where you will learn about all the exceptional words you never knew you needed to know to live a fuller, more verbally enriched life.
There's a Word for It! will help you plug gaping holes in your vocabulary and apply vibrant color to the blank spots in your picture of the world. The book also contains a dazzling selection of light verse by such famous (and fabulous) scribes as Hogden Gnash, Anais Numb, and G. B. Pshaw (click on the title above to read a selection).
Seven Steps to Word Power
Timeless tips for aspiring vocabulary builders.
A Way with Words:
Charlie explains why he resigned as cohost of the popular radio show on KPBS-FM.
The Wrong Pro-NOUN-ciation
Read Charlie's guest language column for the
Boston Globe, in which he takes the dictionaries of Merriam-Webster to task for "promiscuously sanctioning questionable pronunciations."
The Grandiloquent Gumshoe
At a loss for words? Give the P.V.I. (private verbal investigator) a call.
Read one of Charlie's guest "On Language" columns for
The New York Times Magazine.
Things Are Against Us
Did you know there's a word for "seemingly spiteful behavior manifested by inanimate objects"? Read Charlie's guest "On Language" piece about
resistentialism.
Charlie's Dictionary Recommendations
Looking for a new dictionary? Click here for some sage advice.
Celling Out
Charlie has some brave new words for our wireless world.
A Little Latin Is a Lovely Thing
Read one of Charlie's articles on language in SPELL/
Binder.
Wordplay
Read Bill Manson's entertaining profile of Charlie in
San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine.
