Fabulous reading for those who have pet peeves about the way grammar is used incorrectly by those who should, but never seem to, know better.

Absolutely glorious, this kept me chuckling and seething at the same time!

Being a great lover of English Language, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a bit complicated to understand some parts of it, especially reading at bedtime, when my brain is bit tired, but it is quite amusing and interesting to read, especially the parts about American English and modern abbreviations.

Gyles Brandreth explores the idiocies, idiosyncrasies and infinite variety of the English language. His love for words shines through and encourages the reader to think about how & why we use language. This is never dull or pedantic. His examples keep you chuckling and often make you stop short & realise that you'd never thought about that word/phrase in that way before.

Parts of this could act as a good teaching aid in schools, injecting life into what might be a dull subject. I enjoyed reading it & can now tell you the longest word in the dictionary; pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis what else could you want?

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher fr letting me read & review this book.

This is a great little book particularly if, like me, you've ever struggled with grammar or punctuation. Reading this book is probably not going to miraculously perfect your writing or speech but there are lots of useful tips, tricks and facts all told in a funny and easily devoured format. Personally I've always struggled with where to put apostrophes and commas and have never understood what the heck that oxford comma thing is. Now I do - well more or less.

I've always been wary of reading books on grammar and language, they tend to be incredibly complicated (for me at any rate), full of rules I'll never remember and not the most exciting of reads. Have You Eaten Grandma? as you can no doubt tell from the title, is packed full of humour (some adult) and little anecdotes that make it very easy to dip in and out of. There are rules but Brandreth puts his own spin on them giving you practical ways of remembering them. There are sections on grammar, spelling, punctuation, bad language and even the evolution of language.

It is steered mostly towards UK English so, while the author does cover American English and the differences between the two, I'm not sure how well it would go over with a non British reader. I also felt some sections were a little too long although this isn't really an issue if you're dipping in and out or skimming through to the parts you're most interested in (or have the most problems with).

Overall a fun and informative read that's already come in useful at work (settling a discussion on the plural of clerk of works?)

Delightful and hilarious reading for the pedant in your life. Really enjoyed the humour in this one and any grammar lover would be thrilled to have this for a Christmas present.

What a fabulous book! Gyles Brandreth combines his love of the English language with his inimitable humour making an often dry, boring topic interesting. Not only is it clear, informative and accessible, but it had me laughing out loud multiple times! It breaks often complex rules down into manageable chunks and discusses grammar, spelling and punctuation. It also gives examples of each rule in action making everything very understandable. I learned a lot, and the most fascinating exploration for me was the part that looks at recent language trends.

Anyone interested in etymology would really enjoy this book, it would make a great present for the language lover in your life. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Informative and funny. I have laughed a lot reading this. I will be buying copies of this. I have friends who will love this as a Christmas present.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Great book!! Having read a lot of books on English language I can definitely say this is one of the very few that has had me laughing out load!

It’s 5 a.m. STOP I can’t stop reading STOP I also can’t remember the last time I laughed so much. STOP

Gyles Brandreth is another gifted author who could make the phone book seem interesting if he put his mind to it. He has now turned his attention to grammar and punctuation and again has managed to bring what could be a dry and boring subject tot life given his passion, knowledge and sense of humour.

Speaking as a pedant and someone who is often tempted to mark and correct the spelling and punctuation of others (you might note I did not write others' spelling and punctuation as I was not sure if it was others' other's or others's!)

I learned so much from this wonderful treatise and can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone (not others.)

It’s certainly not as funny a read as the title might suggest, but it is informative and breaks down some of the complexities about grammar and punctuation. Consider it as the perfect Christmas gift for the grammar hound in your life.

Humorous book about language and punctuation - I enjoy the style Gyles Brandreth has written in - you can imagine him saying what he's written. I think this would be a good stocking filler/coffee table book

This would be better as a paperback to dip into. For me, it doesn't work as an ebook even though there is a glossary at the back. The content is solid but the light approach is not new. I think that other grammar and language books have covered this ground in a livelier manner. Fine if you have no English grammar / punctuation books at all but there are lots already out there.

I really like Brandreth's humour and writing style, so I saw this book as a bit of a jaunt through some of the finer points of English grammar in the company of an entertaining host.

The guide covers quite a lot, ranging from grammar rules to punctuation to spelling. The writer approaches all of these with a light touch and wit, explaining modern trends in English usage and including some extensive lists of his pet peeves. For students of English Language, there are some good explanations of parts of speech and interesting diversions into various
language topics. For the casual reader, there's much to learn and it doesn't ever feel like a chore. For me, a teacher of English Language to A Level, there were some good ways of explaining things, plus a haiku that really made me laugh!

However, I think it would be fair to say that the book is a little uneven. In an attempt to cover a huge amount of ground, it risks being too simple in places for some and too involved or detailed in others. The long lists of the writer's own personal likes and dislikes within language also felt a little out of place at times.

Overall, this is an entertaining guide to spelling, punctuation and grammar, although it might not all be at the right level for casual readers, students of English Language or us old hands. A good book to dip into though.

Have You Eaten Grandma? is a book I just couldn't resist as I am fascinated by language definitions, etymology and evolution. Gyles Brandreth is well known for his eloquence and ability to speak on any subject at great length, so is the ideal person to have written this book about the correct use of English.

He is passionate about English and very keen that correct English is used but not such a traditionalist that he is not also excited about new words. He points out that "to speak good English, you don't have to sound like the Queen. Good English isn't about your accent: it's about your ability to communicate - clearly, effectively and (when you want to) passionately." Importantly, the author recognises that some people, for example those who suffer from dyslexia, do have difficulties with written language which can lead them rather unfairly to be labelled as ignorant or ill-educated.

The book is full of funny asides where I could almost hear and picture Gyles Brandreth with a wry smile on his face. As you might expect, the book, although quite technical at times, is very witty. It made me smile to hear how he did battle with his publishers over spelling and spacing of certain words and phrases.

There are many different areas covered in this book and the correct use punctuation was the section which interested me. I admit to being a bit of a grammar Nazi - especially where apostrophes are concerned. Every  different punctuation mark is clearly explained along with examples showing the difference they can make to the meaning of a sentence. I loved all the mnemonics for commonly misspelled words and the parts of the books explaining which word should be used when. I think I finally understand when to use past and when to use passed - something which always confused me. The differences between US and UK spellings, meanings and actual words used was fascinating and I had to laugh when the author said "Some people believe that it was while studying the niceties of British and American spelling that the Norwegian artist Edward Much painted his masterpiece, 'The Scream'."

I do feel that this book would benefit from being read as a physical book rather than on an e-reader. I found that it could sometimes be a bit challenging to follow, especially where footnotes were concerned as, of course, my Kindle is not laid out quite like the page of a book. I should say though that my copy was a review copy and it is entirely possible that these issues are not a problem on the finished copy.

I am going to check this review very carefully for spelling or grammatical errors. As the author says, I don't always get it right but I always try to! The most important message from this book is that clear communication is essential. "The more effectively you can communicate, the more successful you will be in every area of your life." Have You Eaten Grandma? is informative yet entertaining and would make an ideal Christmas gift for anyone who is interested in language.

A guide to punctuation, spelling and grammar. I was expecting it to be much funnier and less obvious.