Cover of Anguished English

Book · 1987 · Errors of usage

Anguished English

by Richard Lederer · Recommended by 2 people on 2 podcasts

mentions
2
people
2
podcasts
2
episodes
2
recommendations
2

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That being said i will recommend to everybody that if you haven't read anguished english it's a really hilarious book.
Annie Duke · Conversations with Tyler · Jul 2020 Listen at 25:44

The best things said about it

1 of 2 · every mention
Recommended
Letterer has written a number of delightful books like Crazy English and Anguished English.
Steven Pinker How I Write · Jun 2025

Why people recommend it

Anguished English by Richard Lederer is a humorous and entertaining collection that explores the hilarious blunders, fractured syntax, and amusing oddities of the English language. On an episode of How I Write, Steven Pinker brought up Richard Lederer's delightful books, including both Crazy English and Anguished English, while discussing the various quirky rules and historical eccentricities found within human communication. Pinker noted how these works capture the amusing ways people unintentionally bend and break linguistic structures. Similarly, Annie Duke enthusiastically recommended Anguished English during an appearance on Conversations with Tyler, sharing it as a genuinely hilarious read that she suggests to everyone. Duke connected the book to her father's lifelong passion for wordplay, puns, and the joyful absurdity hidden inside everyday vocabulary. Both guests highlighted the book's unique ability to entertain readers through linguistic mistakes, exam bloopers, and comical misreadings. Lederer's work ultimately stands out as a joyful celebration of linguistic imperfection, proving that mistakes in grammar and spelling can often yield some of the most genuinely funny literature available for language enthusiasts and casual readers alike.

Every mention

2 counted mentions
Annie Duke that being said i will recommend to everybody that if you haven't read anguished english it's a really hila… 1
Recommended
“that being said i will recommend to everybody that if you haven't read anguished english it's a really hilarious book”
Steven Pinker Letterer has written a number of delightful books like Crazy English and Anguished English. 1
Recommended
“Letterer has written a number of delightful books like Crazy English and Anguished English.”

Portraits from Wikimedia Commons: Annie Duke, Annie Duke / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); Steven Pinker, Christopher Michel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).