A Parthian shot from one of the most important figures in post-war British fiction, The King's English is the late Kingsley Amis's last word on the state of the language. More frolicsome than Fowler's Modern Usage, lighter than the Oxford English Dictionary, and brimming with the strong opinions and razor-sharp wit that made Amis so popular--and so controversial--The King's English is a must for fans and language purists.
Kingsley Amis's The King's English is as witty and biting as his novels. Modestly presented as a volume "in which some modern linguistic problems are discussed and perhaps settled," Amis's usage guide is a worthy companion to his revered Fowler's. The King's English is distinctly British, but never mind: it is sensational. And unlike many of his countrymen, Amis is decidedly pro-American, even admitting a "bias towards American modes of expression as likely to seem the livelier and ... smarter alternative." In a world populated by usage mavens too willing to waffle, Amis is refreshingly unequivocal. On the expression meaningful dialogue? It "looks and sounds unbearably pompous. Nevertheless one would not wish to be deprived of a phrase that so unerringly points out its user as a humourless ninny." To cross one's 7's, he says, "is either gross affectation or, these days, straightforward ignorance." And the frequently misused word viable, he claims, "should be dropped altogether ... simply because it has taken the fancy of every trendy little twit on the look-out for a posh word for feasible, practicable." Forget Amis's protestations of being unfit for the position of language arbiter; after all, as he says, "the defence of the language is too large a matter to be left to the properly qualified." --Jane Steinberg
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
May think he's the God of Usage, but he's only half-right . . .:
Amis on language use can be infuriating. In reading through his usage notes, I found myself swinging from a fist-pumping "YES!" to gleeful snickers to an appalled "Say what?!" The author was the product of a classical education in the 1930s, which he explains as the basis of some of his preferences, but he's also partial to the way Americanisms have crept into British English -- usually. He doesn't like "aren't I" (it should be "am I not," since "amn't I" is hardly pronounceable), and he compares calling... more info
WRITING WRONGS:
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Are you disinterested or uninterested? When do you say alternately or should it be alternatively? These are words we hear everyday; but they are often confused and misused, even in the mainstream media. Help is at hand. The famous English author Kingsley Amis's last book The King's English will provide professional writers and those who care about their language, expert guidance in the usage of English.
Amis is best known for his novels such as Lucky Jim and the Old Devils, but he was also a skilled... more info
Pompous..but amusing none the less:
Let us first start with the name of the author of the book in question. "Kingsley Amis", so snotty, so upper-crust and blue blooded...so apropros! Who else would you want to tell you in grand meticulous detail how much you (you meaning the American, you meaning myself as well) butcher the King's English. I adore this book I would give it 5 stars but there are moments when Kingsley (to be said through clenched teeth) meanders a bit and becomes, dare I say it? TOO WORDY. Overall, 4 1/2 stars just for the... more info
Curmudgeonly, pedantic language fun:
This is not in all seriousness a guide to usage. It's more like Amis's personal opinion piece, or list of pet peeves. His criticism cuts both ways, searing both those who take liberties with language, and those who are overly stuffed-shirt about using "whom" or saying "it is I." The closest thing to this among American writers would be William Safire, with a dash of Dave Barry. Amis is deadly funny, with a certain snootiness and condescension that are simultaneously repugnant and heroic.
