Price: S$7.50
Format: Paperback, 196 pages
Published: 2007, Singapore
.: On the Surface
Produced by The Straits Times in conjunction with the Speak Good English Movement, and in collaboration with the National Library Board, the Ministry of Education and Panpac Education Private Limited. Touted as THE BOOK to read if you want to improve your English.
.: What Have Been Said
From http://www.selectbooks.com.sg > Presented in a Question and Answer format, many vivid examples - some hilarious, some hair-raising - taken from advertising billboards and other public signs around the island are used to illustrate where the error lies. The cases are divided into three broad groups, each highlighting pitfalls in English usage, vocabulary and grammar. The panel of experts are made up of specialists from the Ministry of Education, who addressed these errors in a weekly column of the local newspaper, The Sunday Times, as part of Singapore's Speak Good English Movement.
.: My Take
Listen. What do you expect from a book that has been produced in conjunction with a government campaign? Surely, this book must be a must-read and a must-have, at least for students who struggle with real English and the well-used Singlish. In addition, this book is a collection of queries and ‘sightings’ taken from a very popular local site, Stomp. The production of the book itself is enough to generate much hype and a big following, considering its source.
I’ve taken a look at the Stomp site, where the contents came from. I read, absorbed, scrolled up and scrolled down. Reading is a breeze – both queries and answers are well laid out, with big-sized fonts and different treatment for easier distinction (bold for query and normal for answer). Furthermore, the site is peppered with a myriad of colours and ‘sightings’ (uploaded pictures for emphasis) are clear and engaging, especially when you really have to look more closely than usual at the contents.
I have to admit – if the book has not been published, I would not be enticed to sneak a peek at the site. So, I do not really know, if this book is made popular due to the site, or it is the vice versa. At least, it is the latter for me.
Content-wise, I do find it interesting and yes, I do know more than I did after reading the book. I know now when to use ‘terminal’ and ‘interchange’ (see page 80) and I learn new words like ‘tautology’ (see page 49). I have come across many tautologies in my everyday readings, and prior to learning about tautology, I have not thought much about it.
This book also enlightens me on how to use the word ‘appreciate’. My work requires me to communicate very regularly via email and letters and I use this word at least 5 times a day. I was always irritated whenever any of my co-workers used the word in this context – ‘I would appreciate it if you would …’.
My take – what did ‘it’ refer to? So redundant. Often, I would delete the ‘it’. To me, it should be ‘I would appreciate if you would …’.
Well, page 26 tells me that the word ‘appreciate’ cannot stand on its own – it must always be accompanied with something. And in this context, ‘it’ is the most ideal.
Sigh.
As mentioned earlier, content-wise, this book does not fail to deliver. To me, whenever I learn more than I did prior to reading it, any book is worth its salt.
However, I am very disappointed at the presentation of the content. Very unlike the online version, the book is (of course) monotonous and ‘sightings’ are monochrome.
Each query is headed by a number and a title. Beneath it, a very funny Q and an equally funny A pose themselves as acronyms for Questions and Answers. Granted, the query is being highlighted with a greyish round-cornered rectangles as the backdrop. But this does not happen to all queries. Take a look at number 42 on page 89. I failed to see the funny Q but was greeted with the funny A on the next page. Which query does this answer belong to?
Scratch.
Have a look at number 60 on page 30. Read the last sentence. Let me quote here, ‘If you like somebody less than you like Math, you would say, “I like
Yes? What’s that?
Have I stopped suddenly? In a middle of a sentence? Afraid not – I am merely printing EXACTLY what I see on the page.
Yes! The sentence hangs! That’s it!
Sigh.
Another one – take a look at page 67, under Your Say. Let me quote here, ‘Where Americans say “parking lot”, Singaporeans say “carpark”. A “lot” in Singaporese is an individual parking space.”
Spot anything? This is a book that is supposed to highlight the errors of English and well, excuse me, did I spot a spelling error there?
Sigh.
I also cannot make the sense of the Your Say, The Experts Reply, Your Say, The Experts Reply (see pages 66 & 67). Where’s the head? Where’s the tail? If you can figure the maze, drop me a line.
I do wonder, why couldn’t the YS and TER be numbered, just like the others.
.: The TRUIzM
A good enjoyable read, but a major disappointment in terms on layout (lack of creative emphasis) and flow of contents. Mistakes as listed above (especially spelling errors and ‘hanging sentences’) should not occur at all in published books. Where’s the proofreading?
Should you buy? You are better off reading the contents from the site. If you need to take notes, print the pages that matter most and do your notations there. Reading monotonous page after page is a sure-way to put you off English, at least temporarily.
Produced by The Straits Times in conjunction with the Speak Good English Movement, and in collaboration with the National Library Board, the Ministry of Education and Panpac Education Private Limited. Touted as THE BOOK to read if you want to improve your English.
.: What Have Been Said
From http://www.selectbooks.com.sg > Presented in a Question and Answer format, many vivid examples - some hilarious, some hair-raising - taken from advertising billboards and other public signs around the island are used to illustrate where the error lies. The cases are divided into three broad groups, each highlighting pitfalls in English usage, vocabulary and grammar. The panel of experts are made up of specialists from the Ministry of Education, who addressed these errors in a weekly column of the local newspaper, The Sunday Times, as part of Singapore's Speak Good English Movement.
.: My Take
Listen. What do you expect from a book that has been produced in conjunction with a government campaign? Surely, this book must be a must-read and a must-have, at least for students who struggle with real English and the well-used Singlish. In addition, this book is a collection of queries and ‘sightings’ taken from a very popular local site, Stomp. The production of the book itself is enough to generate much hype and a big following, considering its source.
I’ve taken a look at the Stomp site, where the contents came from. I read, absorbed, scrolled up and scrolled down. Reading is a breeze – both queries and answers are well laid out, with big-sized fonts and different treatment for easier distinction (bold for query and normal for answer). Furthermore, the site is peppered with a myriad of colours and ‘sightings’ (uploaded pictures for emphasis) are clear and engaging, especially when you really have to look more closely than usual at the contents.
I have to admit – if the book has not been published, I would not be enticed to sneak a peek at the site. So, I do not really know, if this book is made popular due to the site, or it is the vice versa. At least, it is the latter for me.
Content-wise, I do find it interesting and yes, I do know more than I did after reading the book. I know now when to use ‘terminal’ and ‘interchange’ (see page 80) and I learn new words like ‘tautology’ (see page 49). I have come across many tautologies in my everyday readings, and prior to learning about tautology, I have not thought much about it.
This book also enlightens me on how to use the word ‘appreciate’. My work requires me to communicate very regularly via email and letters and I use this word at least 5 times a day. I was always irritated whenever any of my co-workers used the word in this context – ‘I would appreciate it if you would …’.
My take – what did ‘it’ refer to? So redundant. Often, I would delete the ‘it’. To me, it should be ‘I would appreciate if you would …’.
Well, page 26 tells me that the word ‘appreciate’ cannot stand on its own – it must always be accompanied with something. And in this context, ‘it’ is the most ideal.
Sigh.
As mentioned earlier, content-wise, this book does not fail to deliver. To me, whenever I learn more than I did prior to reading it, any book is worth its salt.
However, I am very disappointed at the presentation of the content. Very unlike the online version, the book is (of course) monotonous and ‘sightings’ are monochrome.
Each query is headed by a number and a title. Beneath it, a very funny Q and an equally funny A pose themselves as acronyms for Questions and Answers. Granted, the query is being highlighted with a greyish round-cornered rectangles as the backdrop. But this does not happen to all queries. Take a look at number 42 on page 89. I failed to see the funny Q but was greeted with the funny A on the next page. Which query does this answer belong to?
Scratch.
Have a look at number 60 on page 30. Read the last sentence. Let me quote here, ‘If you like somebody less than you like Math, you would say, “I like
Yes? What’s that?
Have I stopped suddenly? In a middle of a sentence? Afraid not – I am merely printing EXACTLY what I see on the page.
Yes! The sentence hangs! That’s it!
Sigh.
Another one – take a look at page 67, under Your Say. Let me quote here, ‘Where Americans say “parking lot”, Singaporeans say “carpark”. A “lot” in Singaporese is an individual parking space.”
Spot anything? This is a book that is supposed to highlight the errors of English and well, excuse me, did I spot a spelling error there?
Sigh.
I also cannot make the sense of the Your Say, The Experts Reply, Your Say, The Experts Reply (see pages 66 & 67). Where’s the head? Where’s the tail? If you can figure the maze, drop me a line.
I do wonder, why couldn’t the YS and TER be numbered, just like the others.
.: The TRUIzM
A good enjoyable read, but a major disappointment in terms on layout (lack of creative emphasis) and flow of contents. Mistakes as listed above (especially spelling errors and ‘hanging sentences’) should not occur at all in published books. Where’s the proofreading?Should you buy? You are better off reading the contents from the site. If you need to take notes, print the pages that matter most and do your notations there. Reading monotonous page after page is a sure-way to put you off English, at least temporarily.
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