A history of English from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem, “written with real authority, enthusiasm and love for our unruly and exquisite language” (The Washington Post). Many have written about the evolution of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, but only Seth Lerer situates these developments within the larger history of English, America, and literature. This edition of his “remarkable linguistic investigation” (Booklist) features a new chapter on the influence of biblical translation and an epilogue on the relationship of English speech to writing. A unique blend of historical and personal narrative, both “erudite and accessible” (The Globe and Mail), Inventing English is the surprising tale of a language that is as dynamic as the people to whom it belongs. “Lerer is not just a scholar; he's also a fan of English—his passion is evident on every page of this examination of how our language came to sound—and look—as it does and how words came to have their current meanings…the book percolates with creative energy and will please anyone intrigued by how our richly variegated language came to be.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This revised edition of Barron's popular Pocket Dictionary & Thesaurus packs more than 40,000 words with their definitions and synonyms into a handy pocket-sized book. It features approximately 100,000 synonyms in total. The two-in-one word guide is small enough to fit it into a backpack, carry to class, and use as a reliable reference when writing essays and term papers. The top part of each page is a standard pocket dictionary and the bottom part of the page is in a thesaurus format. Headwords in both sections are printed in color. Each dictionary headword is followed by its part of speech and definition. Every thesaurus headword—in addition to its list of synonyms—comes with an example sentence that uses the word in its standard context. Corresponding dictionary and thesaurus entries are always cited on the same page for fast, easy reference.

The American English Compendium is a fun way to explore the nuances of the English language—learn that a group of lions is called a pride; a group of whales, a pod; and a group of owls, a parliament. Distinguish between a quack and a shyster. Learn that “tabling a motion” in a U.S. court has an opposite meaning from the same term in England. This book picks up where other language dictionaries leave off: it includes common proverbs, a sampling of American English versus British English, popular American expressions and slang, acronyms, and varied information on everything from wildlife to currency. In this new edition, the staples have been updated and fresh chapters have been added, with information on pronunciation, oddball English words, and even some of the new Internet terminology, including Twitterspeak.