Maths & English Archives - Michael O'Mara Books

Mathmatters

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 02:39:52 +0000

Mathmatters is a humorous guide to the hidden calculations that are essential to everything we do.

From making a cup of coffee to negotiating traffic to selecting candidates for an interview, we can’t make it through the day without employing some essential mathematics. Did you know that there are some serious calculations involved in making the perfect cup of coffee (involving ratios)? That an understanding of Braess's paradox will mean you can remain calm about road closures on your commute as they may make your journey faster (using equations relating to speed/distance/time)? Or that your online shopping habit can teach you about game theory (mathematical models of strategies)?

Full of easy-to-understand mathematics and fun, if not entirely helpful, illustrations, Mathmatters is your essential guide to understanding the rules and measures that surround us every day, and determine the outcome of every move we make, every button we press and much of our decision-making, whether we are aware of it or not.

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Help a Thief!

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 02:23:38 +0000

The trouble with punctuation – well, one of the troubles, anyway – is that too many of the experts suggest leaving it to the writer's judgement. What use is that if you've simply never been taught the difference between a colon and a semicolon, or where those wretched apostrophes go?

'Engagingly written, the book is highly readable and will make you think about the way you use punctuation – and that's got to be a good thing' – Parents in Touch
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Caroline Taggart, who has made a name for herself expounding on the subjects of grammar, usage and words generally (and who for decades made her living putting in the commas in other people's work), takes her usual gently humorous approach to punctuation. She points out what matters and what doesn't; why using six exclamation marks where one will do is perfectly OK in a text but will lose you marks at school; why hang glider pilots in training really need a hyphen; and how throwing in the odd semicolon will impress your friends. Sometimes opinionated but never dogmatic, she is an ideal guide to the (perceived) minefield that is punctuation.

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A Word a Day

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 02:20:07 +0000

A Word a Day contains 365 carefully selected words that will enhance and expand your vocabulary, along with their meanings, origins and sample usage and fascinating word-related facts and trivia.

It is estimated that on average an English-speaking adult has acquired a functioning vocabulary of 25,000 words by the time they reach middle age. That sounds like a lot – and more than enough for the daily purposes of communicating with each other in speech and writing. However, it is hard to feel quite so sanguine about our word power when considering those 25,000 words account for less than fifteen per cent of the total words in current usage in the English language. Furthermore, new words are created all the time and, as the word pool flourishes, can we afford to allow our vocabulary to stagnate?

Logophile Joseph Piercy has the answer: a simple challenge to learn A Word a Day from this user-friendly onomasticon (that’s a word list designed for a specific purpose – in case you were wondering …). Each of the 365 words have been carefully selected for their elegance and pertinence in everyday situations and every entry contains a clear and concise outline of meaning, origin and sample usage in context, alongside fascinating word related facts and trivia.

A Word a Day is a treasure trove of fascination and fun for all language lovers – delve in and enhance your vocabulary.

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Improve Your Word Power

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:41:41 +0000

Put your vocabulary skills to the test with this witty and engaging book.

Improve Your Word Power is primarily a collection of multiple-choice challenges in which the reader is asked to decide which definition of a given word is correct. But it’s actually so much more than that. Each topic is themed – from words borrowed from French to words about colours; words from Shakespeare to words that sound alike – and the answers are wonderfully informative and accessible, each giving readers the chance to say ‘Gosh! I didn’t know that!’ even with quite familiar words.

Interspersed throughout are boxes that feature odd definitions, confusable words and fun facts that make the language come to life.

Written by Sunday Times bestselling author Caroline Taggart, this is a book that is aimed at readers who want to improve their vocabulary for the sheer enjoyment of it – and have fun doing so.

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Maths in Bite-sized Chunks

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:19:42 +0000

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The I Used to Know That: Maths Activity Book

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:05:35 +0000

This is the ideal workbook for those who want to refresh what they learned at school and feel more confident with maths, or for people who just love the subject and enjoy a challenge.

Arithmetic, Probability, Fractions, Measurements – maths is one of those subjects that continue to throw a lot of us in a muddle long after our school days. Yet we still need to use it every day, from splitting the bill in a restaurant, to counting out change at a till or working out exchange rates.

The I Used to Know That: Maths Activity Book is designed to take the fear out of maths. Guiding you through the all basics and beyond, this book is full of clear and simple explanations with enjoyable exercises to help 'square' your knowledge.

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Homework Help for Mums and Dads

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:03:03 +0000

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The I Used to Know That Activity Book

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 01:01:58 +0000

Dust off those cerebral filing cabinets and remind yourself of all those facts you really should know!

From pi and Pythagoras to presidents and popes, prime ministers to prime numbers, literature to litmus tests, there is so much information from our school days that we have forgotten, or only half-remember.

The I Used to Know That Activity Book is an enjoyable and interactive way of reminding ourselves of all those facts that we'd like to remember and re-learn, or those we missed the first time round.

This useful book contains questions across all subjects, perfect to dip into and try your hand at whenever the mood takes you. There is space to fill in the answers and, if you are a bit rusty, all solutions can be found at the back of the book.

An enjoyable, informative and lighthearted activity book for all adults who want to jog their memory and get their brain back into gear.

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The 25 Rules of Grammar

alex — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:59:48 +0000

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My Grammar and I Activity Book

alex — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 01:38:57 +0000

Packed full of quizzes and challenges, this fun and practical workbook will help you iron out any grammatical errors and communicate more clearly.

English can be a complicated language; with its myriad influences its grammar can seem full of exceptions and irregularities.

This activity book takes you through the basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling, providing clear and concise explanations of each concept followed by exercises to test how much you've remembered and consolidate your knowledge.

With multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks, crosswords, pictograms, ‘Spot-the-Mistake’ quizzes, check boxes and similar tests, which increase in difficulty, this is the perfect primer for anyone learning English or who would like to brush up on their skills and test their knowledge.

You will never be caught out by misplaced apostrophes, dangling participles or poor spelling again!

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