Still reading the dictionary (see previous entry here). Still enjoying it, too :-)

A few more quotes collected in the meantime:

( behind cut to spare your friends list )

Like Tiffany in The Wee Free Men, I am reading a dictionary[1]. Unlike her, I don't have the excuse that nobody told me I wasn't supposed to[2].

The dictionary I'm reading is the Collins CoBUILD English Usage -- not strictly speaking a dictionary, but it is organized by alphabetical entries. It has the wonderful distinction of being a prescriptive dictionary (it's for language learners) based on a strictly descriptive corpus (the CoBUILD corpus -- which includes spoken as well as written English).

On the whole, pretty much everything in it[3] I already know "instinctively" by now, but it's interesting to see it laid out in an organized fashion, which allows me to see patterns that I wouldn't have noticed by myself, but that I recognize once they're pointed out. And then I enjoy books about language anyway :-)

Among the most fascinating things for me are often the explanations of what you're not supposed to say. Fascinating either because it sets me to wonder why one would want to make that particular mistake[4], or because it highlights the wonderful lack of logic of natural languages (in this case English).

I also really appreciate their liberal use of the word "usually", especially in negative clauses. As in: "You do not usually say that something is between several things. You say that it is among them." It seems a very sensible way to recognize the richness of the language in actual usage, while not overloading learners with information that they can cheerfully live (and speak good English) without.

A random selection of favourites so far:

[Entry: Addressing someone] [...] A number of words, such as "love", "dear", and "mate", are used by people in informal situations to address other people, including people they do not know. These vocatives are often characteristic of a region or a social group, or both. [...examples...] WARNING: You are advised not to use any of these vocatives, because they would sound inappropriate from someone who is not a native speaker from a particular region.

[Entry: all right] [...] "All right" is the usual spelling. "Alright" is sometimes used, but many people think this spelling is incorrect.

[Entry: alternate - alternative] [...] Note that it used to be considered incorrect to talk about more than two alternatives.

[Entry: as if] [...] Many people think it is incorrect to use "was" in clauses of this type. They say you should use "were" instead. (Examples: "He looked at me as if I were mad" [...]) However, in conversation people usually use "was". (Examples: "He gave his orders as if this was only another training exercise" [...]).

[Entry: Asking for repetition] (I really like the inclusion of "You what?" here, even if it is tagged as "impolite")

[Entry: back] [...] Note that you don't talk about the "back side" of a door or piece of paper.

[Entry: bad] [...] The comparative and superlative forms of "bad" are "worse" and "worst". WARNING: You never use the forms "badder" and "baddest".

[Entry: bear - bare] [...] A bear is a large, strong wild animal with thick fur and sharp claws.

[Entry: bite] [...] "You are quite likely to get bitten by an eel."

Footnotes:
[1] I knew I was going to love this book when in the first chapter[5] it said of the protagonist, who is nine years old: "She’d read the dictionary all the way through. No one told her you weren’t supposed to." (This came shortly after our first meeting with her -- the first time we see her, "Tiffany Aching was lying on her stomach by the river, tickling trout. She liked to hear them laugh. It came up in bubbles.") This is my favourite Pratchett book at the moment, and it has been for a few years now.

[2] Well, encyclopaedias really, in my case. I'm sure Tiffany only read the dictionary because she didn't have an encyclopaedia.

[3] At least as far as the middle of the letter "B", which is where I'm at now.

[4] The answer is usually interference from one's native language, of course. (I do it all the time myself, though I can normally avoid it if I concentrate.) The other most common answer is that it makes perfect sense -- see comment on lack of logic above :-)

[5] Yes, this book has chapters. Pratchett seems to have decided he likes them -- and not just for the kids' books. In Going Postal he actually goes all over the top and even has chapter summaries of the "In which our hero" type...