He went from presenting Puzzle Party in the 1970s , to appearing in Countdown's Dictionary Corner for over 300 episodes. His career has since encompassed becoming an MP and appearing regularly on TV and radio, but writing is his true passion. Have you Eaten Grandma?" Good question. And one you could legitimately ask of your brother, your sister, or any of your first cousins, should you suspect them of being cannibalistically inclined.

If you love digging into English grammar and poking at the inconsistencies, this might be for you even if you don't really need another usage manual. Brandreth's tone is conversational and funny, and his advice is good, if broad. I particularly enjoyed the historical info and info on differences between British and American English. This has a much nicer tone than Eats Shoots and Leaves, so I'd recommend it over that one to people who want to learn more about usage. Brandreth doesn't belittle his reader who doesn't know as much as he does about grammar, which is a huge plus. This book won't take the place of my beloved Garner's American Usage (now Modern English Usage in the 4th edition) but it certainly deserves a place on my bookcase and in my recommendations to students. I’m a language obsessive and a punctuation perfectionist. (That doesn’t mean to say I always get it right, but I always aim to.) My mother was a teacher; my father was a lawyer; they brought me up with a love of words. And they sent me to good schools. I was educated by teachers of English who knew their grammar and the value of it. As a child I read dictionaries at breakfast and asked for a copy of Fowler’s Modern English Usage for my tenth birthday. I have loved word games all my life. When I was twenty-three, I founded the National Scrabble Championships. Since then, whether as a journalist or a broadcaster, an actor or a member of parliament, words have been central to my life. I am proud to be the longest-serving resident in Countdown’s Dictionary Corner on Channel 4, the host of BBC Radio 4’s Wordaholics, a regular on Just a Minute, a reporter on The One Show on BBC1, and the Chancellor of the University of Chester. Words are my everything. Gyles Brandreth writes an entertaining and informative book about grammar and punctuation. I am a lover of words and truly appreciate the book. He writes in his self-deprecating manner which (hyphen may or may not be needed) ("which" is appropriate here as it refers to "manner" and it is a thing, not a person). He ends the book with a short chapter on "the language of grammar." This is where he defines nouns, verbs, participles, and those other constructs of sentences that may have contributed to the reason many people resist anything to do with grammar. It is steered mostly towards UK English so, while the author does cover American English and the differences between the two, I'm not sure how well it would go over with a non British reader. I also felt some sections were a little too long although this isn't really an issue if you're dipping in and out or skimming through to the parts you're most interested in (or have the most problems with). Ok, forget that. We’re starting off with the bad stuff in this book. Because it’s mostly bad. The bad Lies, lies, lies

Hobbies

HAVE YOU EATEN GRANDMA? OR, THE LIFE-SAVING IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT PUNCTUATION, GRAMMAR, AND GOOD ENGLISH Best thing ever, laugh-a-lot, spanning everything. Great book, I'm loving this Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2 Have you Eaten Grandma’ is a comprehensive guide to all those things we were taught by our parents and in English lessons at school and have now forgotten. Which new words are acceptable? Which aren’t? It’s a minefield, particularly when you add political correctness to the mix. Qantas, the Australian airline, recently advised flight attendants to avoid using the terms “husband” and “wife” and “mum” and “dad” as “they can reinforce the notion that everyone is in a heterosexual relationship and make many families feel excluded.”“Slobkabobs” is in; “mum” and “dad” are out.

In a recent survey, four out of five teachers expressed concern about the vocabulary range of their teenage pupils. Apparently, “many are unable to understand questions in GCSE [single-subject exams] and SATs test papers, leading in some cases to low self-esteem.” Some eleven-year-olds did not know words such as “complete,” “replace,” and “insert.” Some sixteen-year-olds struggled with “explain,” “identify,” and “analyze.” Another survey revealed that while nine out of ten primary school children in the UK could identify a Dalek, only a third could recognize and name a magpie. The world is changing and words are disappearing. The majority of primary school children these days are city-dwellers, and up to two-thirds of them, it seems, are unfamiliar with such lovely words as these:Gyles Daubeney Brandreth is an English theatre producer, actor, politician, journalist, author and TV presenter. Born in Germany, he moved to London at the age of three and, after his education at New College, Oxford, he began his career in television. Whether you are obsessed with getting grammar right, baffled by grammar or (like us) just in love with words, you are going to love this. A hilarious and definitive guide to 21st-century language Newcastle Evening Chronicle

No double language is ever changing but it’s also important that we cling to what is the most accurate when it comes to expressing ourselves. Research has shown that those who speak good English have an advantage over those who don’t in many aspects of life.

Multibuys

To me, punctuation matters and good spelling is essential. Clear written communication depends on them. The words we use and the way in which we use them are fundamental, but the nuts and bolts of grammar – and the vocabulary of the grammarian – are less important to me. […]

Language is power. Emojis, slang, the subjunctive mood . . . all colour our words with meaning. Interested? Then you’re in the right place. Welcome to the Have You Eaten Grandma? podcast.Join Gyles Brandreth, Natalie Haynes and a group of fellow word nerds as they journey through the intricacies and everyday pitfalls of the English languageDiscover more about the book behind the podcast at http://bit.ly/HYEGwts I’m going to start off with good stuff in this book. Then we’ll move on to the meh stuff and end with the garbage fire material. This is a grammar guide that only Gyles Brandreth could write! Full of humour throughout, this is his definitive guide to punctuation, spelling and good English for the twenty-first century Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald In this brilliantly funny tirade and guide, Gyles anatomizes the linguistic horrors of our times, tells us where we've been going wrong (and why) and shows us how, in future, we can get it right every time. Is 'alright' all right? You'll find out right here. From dangling clauses to gerunds, you'll also discover why Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses. I admit it. I'm a pedant about the English language. I have a mug that says 'Less sugar, fewer suger-lumps.' Not that it stops me regularly getting things wrong (regularly? frequently? Haley's Comet was regular. You see, this is the sort of thing that I find myself pondering). And I'll admit my spelling is appaulling/ abbyssmal / dredful...This is an amazing reference book for people, who care about correct language usage and auto-correct people when they write something wrong (grammar/spelling/punctuation police such as myself). It can be irritating for some but language is one of the most valuable assets of humankind, and I do not think that we should take it for granted. We're losing important cultural values due to misuse of the language, and technology is usually the one to blame for this. Gyles Brandreth beautifully highlights the most common mistakes that we make when we speak English/write in English. Thus, it's not a book to read and leave it to collect dust on the shelf but it should be treated as a timeless reference guide. Whether you are obsessed with getting grammar right, baffled by grammar or (like us) just in love with words, you are going to love this. A hilarious and definitive guide to 21st-century language * Newcastle Evening Chronicle *