The Words of the Day The Unlikely Evolution of Common English Dr. Steven M. Cerutti PhD. ISBN: 0-9761573-3-0 Library of Congress Number: 2005928017 222 pages - Perfect Bind 9x7 PD 106 Shelving: Reference/Language Pedagogue Series # 1 Retail Price $27.95 / £19.95 Key Features About the Author Table of Contents Reader Comments   - Order now and get 30% off the retail price! Regular Price $19.95 but get it now for only $4.00!

The English language was largely influenced by the ancient languages of the Romans and the Greeks, and this entertaining and educational book shows the amazing origins of words that we use everyday. Let Dr. Cerutti show you how to sharpen your word usage, sharpen the dull edge of your vernacular, blunted over the years by hearing, reading and speaking words that you have never truly understood. Combining Dr. Cerutti's authoritative command over the English language with uncanny scholarship and his own unique wry wit, this book is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about common word usage.

* Learn the amazing origins of profane words * Understand how words dramatically change meaning in just a few centuries. * Learn words to insult your enemies without their knowledge * Make up words to say exactly what you mean * Learn how words have come to mean the opposite of what they actually mean * Learn to insult your enemies without their knowledge * Understand the real meaning of our numbers

About the Author:

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Mixology: How words Work Chapter 2: Word Power Chapter 3: The “F” Word: Part One Chapter 4: Vowel Movements Chapter 5: Going Negative Chapter 6: School Words Chapter 7: The Body Eclectic Chapter 8: Everybody Do the Wave Chapter 9: True Lies Chapter 10: Copping the “‘tude”

Chapter 11: Money, Money Chapter 12: Pornography: How To Know It When You See It Chapter 13: The “F” Word Part 2 Chapter 14: It Was All Greek To Them (And Still Is) Chapter 15: How Words Change Chapter 16: Let’s Get Small Chapter 17: The Ten Most Misused Words Chapter 18: Anagrams and Stop Signs Chapter 19: Big Hat, Small Heard Chapter 20: Bringing It All Together

Reader comments and news: Know What to Say - The East Carolinian "He amazed his students with both funny and naughty stories from Roman and Greek mythology, and captured their minds with his true knowledge and energy about words." "Almost a year ago Dr. Cerutti received a phone call from Don Burleson, whose son Andrew was in his class and couldn't stop talking about it. Don Burleson is a publisher (Rampant Press) and was very interested in codifying his class. "I was blown away", said Cerutti." The evolution of common English - The Reflector "Cerutti's curriculum is thus entertaining in addition to being educational. As such, his Classics 1300 was voted the university's most popular class in a student poll taken by campus newspaper The East Carolinian a few years ago." "After class one day, his office phone rang. It was the father of one of his students. "My son can't stop talking about your class," the man said to Cerutti. "I happen to run an independent publishing house. I would like to codify your class into a book." From that conversation, Cerutti received a contract to distill his Greek and Latin for Vocabulary Building course into a book." A great book by a great man..., August 3, 2006 Reviewer: G. Kaupp (Columbia, SC) Being a former student of Dr. Cerutti's, I am a little biased. But I took the class to which he refers in his text, and it was even funnier than the book itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as did some of my colleagues who also read it. I remember the day he wrote a big "FA" on the board and then proceeded to lecture away, just as he did in the chapter on "fa" and "pha". Overall, a very pleasant adaptation of his class. Scholar? Comedian? BOTH!!, April 9, 2006 Reviewer: Tommy Gunn (Northampton, MA USA) - See all my reviews Cerutti's previous books have all been Greek to me but this one was written in the universal language of humor, making it accessible even to those of us who are not classicists! This book will teach you about the origins of words and expressions we use every day as well as Greek and Roman mythology. Best of all, you'll laugh your [...] off through the whole thing (and you'll probably blush a bit too). Cerutti's WORDS is for anyone who is educated, who wants to become educated, who wants to appear educated, or who wants to laugh at others who think they're educated. I'm hoping for a sequel! I loved this book!, March 19, 2006 Reviewer: Edith Ripley (Richmond, VA) I bought this book on a tip from a friend who said it helped her hugely on the verbal portion of the GRE, plus she said it was the funniest thing she had ever read. I am getting ready to take the SAT so I read it and she was right! This book makes understanding words not only easy, but fun, too! The author is a great storyteller, and knowing the stories behind the words helps you remember what they mean much better than memorizing flashcards. This book actually makes you feel smarter. I plan to read it again right before I take the test! Wish me luck! But with Cerutti's Words of the Day under my belt, I know I'll do fine. Homer meets Andrew Dice Clay, March 16, 2006 Reviewer: John Rogers This book takes you on a roller-coaster ride through the classical origins of the English language from page one! Cerutti has a feel for Greek and Roman mythology that I've never encountered before, and I was a classics major as an undergrad! I learned more about the classical world from reading this book than I did in college. And it's extremely funny! Try "Homer meets Andrew Dice Clay!" I found myself laughing out loud dozens of times. Chapter five, on the sexual exploits of Apollo is worth the price of the book alone. This book would make an excellent gift for anyone with a healthy sense of humor and a keen interest in words--even the "naughty" ones. This book rocks! Great and fun book!, March 11, 2006 Reviewer: Kelly "Kelly" - I greatly enjoyed this book as an introduction to the ancestry of English. It is a fun read and has some really funny stories about word origins.