Not so long ago, writes Jeremy Paxman, the English were "polite, unexcitable, reserved, and had hot-water bottles instead of a sex-life". Today the end of empire has killed off the Bulldog Breed - "fearless and philistine, safe in taxis and invaluable in shipwrecks" - and transformed the great public schools. Princess Diana was mourned with the effusive emotionalism of an Italian saint. Leader-writers in "The Times" even praise the sexual skills of English lovers ...So what are the defining features of "Englishness"? How can a country of football hooligans have such an astonishingly low murder rate? Does the nation's sense of itself extend to millions of black, Asian and other immigrant Britons? Is it grounded in arrogant, nostalgic fantasy or can it form the basis for building a realistic future within Europe? To answer these crucial questions, Paxman looks for clues in the English language, literature, luke-warm religion and "curiously passionless devotion" to cricket. He explores attitudes to Catholics, th
New edition! A practical personal writing adviser. Coverage includes punctuation, capitalization, possessives, and compound words, with a special chapter on quotations. Students will especially appreciate guidance on preparing footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies.
Suddenly, Tim Carrier, an ordinary guy, is at the center of a mystery of extraordinary proportions, the one man who can save an innocent life and stop a killer far more powerful than any cop…and as relentless as evil incarnate. But first Tim must discover within himself the capacity for selflessness, endurance, and courage that can turn even an ordinary man into a hero, inner resources that will transform his idea of who he is and what it takes to be The Good Guy.
Compiled from G.L. Apperson's original and painstaking research of nearly three thousand works dating as far back as the twelfth century and earlier, and built upon the foundations of the great Oxford English Dictionary, the Dictionary of Proverbs traces the origins and history of English proverbs and proverbial phrases. The original author has avoided the purely aphoristic and moral, which have little claim to proverbial use, and has codified this notoriously verbal rather than literary form in a way which earned the gratitude of the compilers of the Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. The proverbs are grouped alphabetically and by subject, with copious cross-references throughout, rendering the dictionary as great a joy to consult as it is to browse through. This new edition includes over 500 new entries covering new examples, such as The customer is always right, There's no such thing as a free lunch, If it ain't broke, don't fix it, Life is too short to stuff a mushroom, and The family that prays togethe
Raise Test Scores! Be sure kids test their best on standardized tests in reading by familiarizing them with the skills, formats, and language they need to succeed. These practice tests, collected from the reading skills practice tests offered twice a year to Scholastic News Edition 1 subscribers, are designed to look and feel like state and national tests including the Terra Nova, ITBS, CTBS, and MAT. The 11 ready -to-take practice tests are a great way to boost confidence and make test prep easy for you. Also includes bubble-style answer sheets and tips for administering the tests.
Illustrated by thousands of examples from the Bank of English, the Collins COBUILD Active Grammar contains easy-to-understand explanations of the important points of English grammar. Warning notes occur throughout the text, giving learners invaluable help with potential problems in English. Supplements to the text include irregular verb tables, and a detailed glossary of grammatical terms. Ideal for the intermediate learner of English as a handy reference work, the Collins COBUILD Active Grammar offers in-depth guidance on the key areas of English grammar.
