Reference Books - Page 12

American Accent Training (Book and Audio CD, 2nd Edition)

Ann Cook

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 85 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A fantastic, often nefarious theme made easy! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have to say this book is for us people who would like to master American English Pronunciation...This book is fantastic in the whole theme. The way it explain the letters: There's a chapter tha deals with the "T", which Ann Cook explains very extensively, has more than five different sounds in American English. The final chapter (an appendix) deals with the most usual problems people from different etnicities face up to when trying to talk English.

Before coming to this material I "THOUGHT" I Knew English. But, confronting the issues presented, I deducted I knew just Spanish in English (What I call literally speaking a language). More or less, speaking English with a Spanish base.

I have these CDs on my car and here them over and over. I use to hear one for weeks and the turn it over to the other...and then circle back to the first...

I certainly recommend this book to anyone who has not been born in USA and would like to talk a better English (American Accent).

A WORD OF CAUTION: As everything in life, the whole thing is just as good as you prove yourself you are capable: MEANING? It require you to "work it out" and try the different accents, rythms and tones variation proposed by Ann. It's certainly not amateur stuff!!!

Editorial Review:

The second edition of the highly acclaimed American Accent Training, now on 5 audio CDs, is for foreign-born students and business people working, traveling or studying in the United States and Canada. Through extensive intonation and pronunciation exercises, students learn how to speak with a standard American Accent. At the same time, listening comprehension improves dramatically. Supplementary materials included detailed nationality guides for eight languages (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Korean), access to a comprehensive website, and referral to a qualified telephone analyst for an individual diagnostic speech analysis. Also included are colored markers for written exercises, and a mirror to practice accurate pronunciation.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

James Strong

List Price: $21.99 By: Nelson Reference Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $6.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Unlimited Possibilities 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Strong's Concordance provides a way to study words Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic -- the languages of the the Bible -- without knowing these languages. It was designed for people who need this kind of help.

It has other uses also. Sometimes I have a verse of scripture in mind, but I cannot remember all of it or the precise meaning. I want to recall the exact words. If I can think of a single word that is unusual, a word likely to be found in only a few specific passages, I can use the word to find the verse by looking in the concordance.

Then while I'm looking, I may want to find similar passages about the subject. All the passages are easy to find using the Strong's Concordance.

There are programs on the Internet, such as the one at Blue Letter Bible dot org, with the same capacity for locating verses; sometimes though the book is better. There are quiet study times away from the computer, and there are times when the computer screen is otherwise busy.

I have friends who never go online. The Strong's Concordance is perfect for them. A concordance is a lovely gift.

Editorial Review:

This re-typeset handi-size edition includes Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary for help in finding original words and the original meanings. It is easy to find a specific Bible verse or to research all the verses in the Bible on a specific word or topic. The Words of Christ are in bold type.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not!: Prepare to Be Shocked! (Ripley's Believe It Or Not)

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The electrifying holographic cover of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Prepare to be Shocked gives a tantalizing taste of the bizarre and amazing facts and pictures to be found throughout the latest book in Ripley's multi-million-selling series. Among the crazy stories featured is the Electric Man who can power light bulbs and fry fish in his bare hands, a jet-powered bar stool, a man with bright blue skin, and cats that glow in the dark!

Seventeen chapters--ranging from Epic Endeavors and Fun Festivals to Fantastic Food and Startling Art--cover an ever-widening group of subjects and stories around which the book is based. Intriguing interviews with astounding individuals spotlight their achievements and reveal more about what makes them tick. Informative `Ripley's Research' boxes give the scientific explanation behind some of the most incredible tales in the book, such as why cats are sometimes born with wings, how someone can swallow live snakes, and how snow donuts are actually formed. In addition, miscellaneous lists and other text features are scattered throughout, including a list of competitive eating achievements and a recipe for deep-fried scorpions. And double-page features, entitled `Enter the Vault,' showcase the best of the Ripley archive of black and white photographs of unbelievable people, places, and creatures of the past.

Every page will make you gasp with astonishment at the truly unbelievable tales that make up the wonderful world of Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Exercises to accompany A writer's reference

Diana Hacker

By: St. Martin's Press Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $42.58

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good Experience 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

book was exacatly what my daughter needed for college course. It was the best price and was shipped right away. good internet shopping experience.

excellent!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This an amazing source for anyone who wants to find anything anything that has to do with grammar and formats for term papers and all that stuff ... :-) AMAZING!!!

review 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Needed this for class. The book was in great condition. There wasn't really anything unique or special about this book. Everything I needed out of it I was able to get out of other writing references.

A WRITER REFERENCE 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

THE PRODUCT IS VERY GOOD TO USE IN ENGLISH 101 IN LOS ANGELES PIERCE COLLEGE

helpful reference for high school and beginning college students 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Book is divided into sections that make answers easy to find. Provides rules for grammar and punctuation.

Editorial Review:

A proven success. The best-selling college textbook of any kind. Thoroughly class tested and enthusiastically endorsed by millions of students and their instructors at more than 1300 colleges and universities across the country. Updated with MLA's 1999 guidelines. Spiral.

The Bedside Baccalaureate: A Handy Daily Cerebral Primer to Fill in the Gaps, Refresh Your Knowledge & Impress Yourself & Other Intellectuals

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Library & Information Science -> Reference

Editorial Review:

Many adults long to make up for an education they either never had or that seemed somehow lacking. Now they can fill in the gaps right at home with The Bedside Baccalaureate series, which speaks directly to this grown-up thirst for knowledge. Filled with color images, extremely readable, and with an appealing presentation, it provides a fun, no-pressure experience that everyone will enjoy.
The goal of The Bedside Baccalaureate is not the simple accumulation of trivia, but the placement of facts within the framework of knowledge. The 20 courses—focused overviews of subjects with which any well-educated person would want to be familiar—are created by experts in their fields with the intention of making the topics accessible and entertaining. Each course consists of 18 one-page lectures that maximize clarity without compromising the integrity of the ideas. The lectures are rotated, rather than clumped together, to add variety to the reading experience and to mimic the heady mix of subjects one encounters in the world of the intellect. You can dip into an assortment of areas by reading a page at a time; or, if a course really grabs you, you can skip ahead. Learning is contagious—once you get started, it’s difficult to stop.
The courses are associated with one of 12 departmental “strands” as follows: Two courses each per volume   •American History
•Philosophy
•World History
•Economics
•English and Comparative Literature
•Classics
•Art History
•Environmental Science
•Mathematics and Engineering
•Physical Sciences
•Social Science

                     

A Rulebook for Arguments

Anthony Weston

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Many Virtues, Just One Fault 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The virtues of this book are many. There is only one fault to this book, but it is significant. You decide which is more important.

This volume is slim and lightweight, precisely sized for the outside pocket of a student's backpack. Though too big for a shirt pocket, it is hard to imagine a book-bag so overstuffed that this book couldn't fit in one corner. Combined with the fact that it is inexpensive, that might make this the one book Freshman Composition students will hang onto when the class is over.

Unlike many books on writing papers, which are redundant and use many words to prove they're serious, this one is written to be short and useful. The tone is excellent for students who have a lot on their plates. The writing is concise, with short chapters which use straightforward rules and uncomplicated language to explain the most common forms of argument. The arrangement starts from broad rules and moves into specific categories, before getting into three chapters on writing papers. Each chapter is separated into clear subheads, allowing students to find the information they need very quickly.

This book does not address every form of argument. Arguments from commonplaces are not mentioned, and arguments from form are subsumed under the category of deduction, which is a bit of a loss. However, the forms of argument from external evidence are laid out in clear, readable language that college freshmen or advanced high-schoolers can savvy.

What the book lacks is any rules on case construction and the arrangement of complex multi-part arguments. The three chapters on writing papers focus on pre-writing, outlining, and the act of writing. The author says that complex arguments are no more than single arguments connected together, without bothering to say how they can or should be connected. I have graded too many Freshman Comp papers where the individual arguments are stuck together haphazardly like Lego blocks to consider this a small oversight.

So it's up to you which is more important: the many good traits this book brings, or the one glaring omission that you as a teacher will need to fill in. It's a delicate balance, and one that rides on your own skill with students. Only you can decide whether this book's many virtues matter more than its one big vice.

Guinness World Records 2008 (Guinness World Records)

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A double back-spin on a motorcycle...ane elephant with a wooden leg...an apple the size of your head...it's just another year at the Guinness World Records!

It’s another year of amazing record breakers from Guinness World Records™ 2008. Now the world’s most popular book offers more diversity than ever, from epic endeavors in science and technology, entertainment, and sports to the exceptional wonders of the natural and man-made world. Discover the incredible facts of life on Earth—and beyond—as never before. Did you know…

At 114 years 24 days, Yoneko Minagawa of Japan is the world’s oldest living person, following the death of the USA’s Emma Faust Tillman in 2007.

The largest commercially available burger is 78lb. 8 oz., available at Bob’s BBQ and Grill at Pattaya Beach in Chonbur, Thailand. It costs $23.95 and anyone who can finish it within three hours receives a refund, their name on a plaque, and a gift certificate for a future visit. To date, the fastest finishing is eight hours.

The longest swim under ice with breath held goes to Win Hof of the Netherlands. Wearing only bathing trunks and goggles, Hof swam 188 ft. 7in. under ice in just 1 minute 1 second. To do so, he endured a water temperature of 21.2 degrees F (-6C).

And that’s just a taste of what’s inside this extraordinary book, filled with stunning photos, exclusive interviews—and information about how to become a record breaker yourself….

New Concise World Atlas

Oxford University Press

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The New Concise World Atlas, Second Edition offers a sweeping look at the world in a fresh, clear manner, opening with six pages of compiled statistics on world population, climate and geography, all important points of reference for the global citizen. The highly illustrated "Earth in Space" thematic section that follows provides a wide-angle overview of the planet, placing the human world in the larger context of the universe. Then, in twenty-two compact yet compelling essays, the Earth's human and natural processes are explained using a balanced combination of informative text, instructive charts and graphs, and vibrant photography and cartography.
As part of a suite of annually updated atlases, the second edition offers information the competition lacks: revised province names and boundaries in Denmark, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Serbia and Montenegro as well as the opening of four new international airports and several major new railroads. Five new city maps, several regional spreads of the United States, and inset maps of island groups such as the Azores, the Seychelles and the Comoros also appear here for the first time. With 128 pages of the latest maps at carefully selected scales, every region from the Arctic Ocean to The Volga Basin is rendered in layer-colored contours, revealing detailed political and topographical information about each of the 192 countries recognized by the United Nations. Mirroring style changes made to the popular Atlas of the World, page number indicators have been added throughout which, along with refined locator windows, allow for easy identification of adjacent map pages. Historical cross-references have also been added to the already comprehensive 55,000-entry index, so that finding specific locations will be effortless no matter which place name is most familiar. Topping off this value-laden resource, a "Regions in the News" element highlights those geographic areas that have struggled with strife and turmoil over the last twelve months. These thematic maps illustrate local ethnic populations and occupied territories, helping to decode some of the issues plaguing Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, and Sudan.
With hundreds of dramatic full-color, large-format maps produced by Europe's finest team of cartographers, the New Concise World Atlas, Second Edition will surely be found on the shelf of anyone concerned with the state of the world.

Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths

Mardy Grothe

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For most of us, that perfect retort or witty reply often escapes us when we need it most, only to come to mind with perfect clarity when it's too late to be useful. The twentieth-century writer Heywood Broun described this all-too-common phenomenon when he wrote "Repartee is what we wish we'd said."

In Viva la Repartee, Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of Oxymoronica, has lovingly assembled a collection of masterfully composed -- and perfectly timed -- replies that have turned the tables on opponents and adversaries. This delightful volume is a celebration of the most impressive retorts, ripostes, rejoinders, comebacks, quips, ad-libs, bon mots, off-the-cuff comments, wisecracks, and other clever remarks ever to come out of the mouths -- and from the pens -- of people throughout history. Touching on all areas of human endeavor, including politics, the arts, literature, sports, relationships, and even the risqué, the book features contributions from Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Mae West, Groucho Marx, Winston Churchill, Dolly Parton, and scores more.

As entertaining as it is intellectually enriching, Viva la Repartee is sure to capture the attention of language lovers and is the perfect antidote for anyone who's ever thought I wish I'd said that!

The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language (P.S.)

Steven Pinker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 109 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Thorough and Entertaining Introduction to Language 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

As someone who has had a fascination about languages, this book was the perfect choice for my undergraduate neuroscience class--it's objective is to elucidate how the mind creates language. The prose is extremely well-written and complex ideas clearly explained. Pinker takes the reader on a very fun and thought-provoking journey, providing fascinating insights for both the casually-interested reader and linguists alike. I will highlight on some key points presented throughout.

The first sections illustrate the key themes that Pinker will elaborate on throughout the rest of the book. He presents language as being an evolutionary adaptation that is unique to humans, just as much as a trunk is an adaptation for elephants or sonar for a bat. It is an instinct that we innately are born with. One of the myths about language is the notion that language is taught or transmitted, whether from mother to baby, or from one civilization to another. In actuality, children seem to be born with "Universal Grammar," a blueprint for all grammars on earth. "Virtually every sentence is a brand new combination of words. Therefore a language cannot be a repertoire of responses; the brain must contain a recipe or program that can build an unlimited set of sentences out of a finite list of words (9)." Likewise, there has yet to be a civilization found that is devoid of language. For example, a group of a million people had inhabited an area isolated from the rest of the world in New Guinea for forty thousand years, yet had independently developed their own language, as discovered when first contact was made in the 1920s.

Another important concept presented is "mentalese", a euphemism for a theory of thinking known as "computational/representational theory of mind." It essentially negates the common myth that thought is dependent on language and its corollary, that since people of different backgrounds than us have different languages, they must think differently. There is thought to be a universal "mentalese," and to "know a language" is simply being able to translate mentalese into strings of words in that language.

The second section of the book is a comprehensive summary of the basic parts of language, with plentiful information regarding syntax, phrase structure, morphemes, and more. A key point made is the recent discovery of a common anatomy in all the world's languages, called "X-bar theory." With the general set of rules, children do not have to "learn" lists and lists of rules for each language via rote memorization, but are born knowing the linguistic framework. They are then able to go from speaking a few isolated words to complex yet grammatically coherent sentences in a matter of months.

In the next section, Pinker introduces the concept of the "parser", which is the mental program that analyzes sentence structure during language comprehension. Grammar is simply a protocol, which does not necessitate understanding. In a nutshell, as the person reads a sentence, the parser will group phrases, building "phrase trees", consistent with linguistic rules (for example, a noun phrase is followed by a verb phrase). It is interesting that grammatically correct yet poorly constructed sentences can cause a person great difficulty in comprehension--the rationale is that the parser will not present the person with the correct phrase tree, among copious possible combinations.

Pinker goes on to describe the differences between languages. Despite grammatical difference between languages, such as subject(S)/verb(V)/object(O) order (SVO, SOV, etc), fixed-word-order/free-word-order (if phrase order can vary or not), there are striking similarities. The most prominent are implications--if a language has X, it will have Y. For example, if the basic order of a language is SOV, it will have question words at the beginning of the sentence (234).

Pinker cites three processes that act on languages that result in the differences that we see evident in languages today: innovation, learning, and migration. For example in the case of migration, though the roots of English are from Northern Germany, the existence of thousands of French words in English is the legacy of the invasion of Britain by the Normans in 1066. One of the most broad-reaching relationships between current modern languages can be traced back to the possible existence of a proto-Indo-European language, whose modern-day descendents span from Western Europe to the Indian subcontinent.


Over the final chapters, Pinker elaborates on the amazing explosion of language acquisition in children during their first three years. He explains the significance of Broca's and Wernicke's in language, by examining different cases of aphasia with patients having damage to those areas. Our current understanding of the brain does not allow us to be able to predict what the impact of damage to these areas are from patient to patient--it is frequently witnessed that patients with damage in identical places to these areas have different types of aphasia.

As a final note, Pinker makes a distinction between prescriptive rules, such as grammatical rules that we are taught in school, and descriptive rules, the way people actually talk. In response to the former, he makes a claim that using non-standard English such as "I can't get no satisfaction" versus the standard English "I can't get any satisfaction" is not wrong linguistically, as it is simply a different dialect with an internally consistent grammar. The evident double-negative (which is "wrong" in standard English) is simply a remnant of Middle English, where double-negatives were ubiquitous. As long as the grammatical rules of any language are consistent and systematic, as in the seemingly wrong non-standard English, they follow the descriptive rules and are linguistically correct.


Overall, The Language Instinct is a great read for anyone even remotely interested in the topic. The scope is immense, from basic linguistics, to language development, to language evolution, to genetics, to overall mind design. In addition to being introduced to very important linguistic concepts, you will have an amazing amount of entertaining examples to share in any setting.

Editorial Review:

In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published.