Misadventures in the English Language looks at some of the controversial aspects of English usage – grammar, vocabulary and punctuation – and tries to assess what matters and what doesn’t.

It also considers where we are now, appraising (and often praising), the invention of new words from kidult to piscetarian, and Internet-led abbreviations such as JK and ICYMI. It is by turns an explanation of the rules, a rant against gobbledygook and other modern horrors, and a celebration of the inventiveness of today’s language-makers.

Looking at why it pays to be precise in your punctuation – the hackneyed examples of ‘Let’s eat Grandma’ and ‘Eats, Shoots and Leaves’ show how punctuation can make all the difference; why tautologies are just annoying; how corporate speak can actually mean nothing at all; and why naughty, awful, sophisticated and virtue are all words that now mean something completely different from what they originally meant, all aspects of the English language are covered.