Karolyn Close

Bad English Karolyn Close

Bad English: A Learner's Guide to Swearing, Obscenity and Profanity is written for ESL students and is a look at the most common swears used in the UK and North America. Bad English teaches you all the words you won't learn in your English class.



When learning another language, people often want to learn all the words they're not supposed to say to their grandmothers. One of the problems of using swears / profanity / vulgarity in another language is that it might be difficult to understand just how offensive a word actually is to a native speaker. A realistic look at any language tells us that there is a significant difference between the things we should say and the things we do say. The goal of this book is to teach you not only the grammar and syntax of swearing, but to give you an idea just how vulgar or offensive a word actually is and how and when to use it (or avoid using it) before you find yourself being chased up the street by a crowd of angry people.



Bad English divides swears into five categories: blasphemy, body parts, bodily functions, negative comments on someone's character and of course, mothers (other people's mothers, not your own, of course). There are quizzes after each chapter (with answers!) and helpful hints on how to express anger, disgust, how to tell someone to leave you alone, how to modify a verb / adverb / noun / adjective depending on how you're feeling etc.



In short, Bad English has everything you need to defend yourself verbally or get a black eye in a bar fight. Just don't practice your new skills on your grandmother.