Words Fail Me

Witty and amusing handbook to the contradictions and inconsistencies of theEnglish language.In 2004, Lynne Truss' little book on punctuation, Eats, Shoots Leaves,was a surprise hit.The Sudoku craze swept the country in 2005.Thisyear, why not challenge your brain with words instead of numbers?WORDSFAIL ME by Teresa Monachino, is a collection of mind-teasing wordplaydesigned to artfully manipulate the unpredictability of the Englishlanguage.Award-winning designer and typographer Teresa Monachino has always beenbaffled by the English language's contradictions and peculiarities.Wordsdo not mean what they say--the middle letters of believe spell lie.Wordshave the same spelling but differ in both pronunciation and meaning--minuteis both miniscule and a measurement of time.Words are paired togetherredundantly--empty space or honest truth.WORDS FAIL ME is a wittycollection of these unruly words, all set in Monachino's immaculatetypography, that demonstrate the offbeat nature of the English language.Questions of spelling, pronunciation or the blatantly nonsensical areillustrated through clever visual representations that are created entirelythrough artfully manipulated typography.This playful and sometimeshilarious text sorts the homonyms from the heteronyms and introduces theantigram' (demonstrating how the swift shuffle of certain letters cancreate words that entirely contradict the first: honestly becomes on thesly, earliest becomes rise late and, fabulously, Elvis = lives!).Eachchapter reveals, explains Monachino, how "English hoodwinks us intobelieving one thing while concealing something quite different.All is notwhat it seems."Using striking and witty graphic design the author turns these tricky wordsinto mind-bending puzzles, demanding answers to such troublesome questionsas, why is abbreviation such a long word, does monosyllabic really needfive syllables and why is lisp so hard to say if you have one?This quirky little book was first inspired by Monachino's Italian mother,who finds the nearest English word to the one she wants and uses that.' Her mother's uncertain grasp and questioning of the English language,continuously left Monachino befuddled with no logical explanation to theseinconsistencies.WORDS FAIL ME is her attempt to bring these illogicalideas to the forefront.Whether you are a crossword lover, wordsmith,designer or simply fascinated with words, this handbook is a visual treatsure to leave you scratching your head.