Accidence Will Happen

June 1, 2016

Kamm, an award-winning UK Times columnist, has written a much-needed book that challenges those who want to entomb English, a living language that is in no danger of being destroyed or corrupted by occasional grammatical missteps. The author's tolerance of and even welcoming misuse of grammatical conventions may seem subversive at first. Yet, especially refreshing is Kamm's appreciation of the organically evolving American English, which adds a sense of exuberance to our "living language." The cliche that the United States and the UK are "divided by a common language" is reinterpreted as the strength of a cross-fertilization of differing dialects of the same language. VERDICT With many practical examples of valid "misuses" of commonly used words and phrases, this highly recommended work will be a valuable addition to collections on usage and a readable account for general audiences who take joy in affirming their own contributions to our ever evolving language.--Herbert E. Shapiro, Lifelong Learning Soc., Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Raton

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