Reviews
CERN Courier – Bookshelf, December 2011 issue.
Published 18 November 2011
Those who have been put off improving their use of the English language by pedants and coma-inducing teachers who talked of gerunds and genitive forms have nothing to fear from this book and everything to learn. As its title suggests, the English language is a joy, and the author’s enthusiasm to enable the reader to share in this is apparent from the start. There is nothing here of the chalk-tossing Latin master; this book feels like a conversation between equals, one that the reader can engage with and learn from right away.
The book is structured around a hundred common mistakes, tips and discussion points applicable to both British and American English, ranging from the truth about split infinitives to the importance of proofreading and checking over your writing. The emphasis is on style, with an examination of what works well and why, not merely on what is correct. Each point is discussed and explained in a variety of ways that suit a variety of learning styles and situations. Quick reference is aided by clearly typeset “right” and “wrong” examples that are easy to scan, for instance, while (I was tempted, by habit, to write “whilst” here!) section subheadings are designed to help you remember the core message: the subheading for the section on sentence structure, for example, is simply “Somebody did something”. Karjalainen does not shy away from plain didactic advice, either, but he offers it without sounding smug or superior.
This book is much more than a reference book. While it is entirely suited as such, it invites deeper engagement and reflection. Karjalainen should be commended for infusing it with an infectious sense of joy that leaves the reader wanting to strive towards the improvement of his or her own use of the English language.
Dan Noyes, CERN. (Review courtesy CERN Courier magazine.)
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