Have You Eaten Grandma?: Or, the Life-Saving Importance of Correct Punctuation, Grammar, and Good English

Written by Gyles Brandreth

Narrated by Gyles Brandreth

For anyone who wants to make fewer (not less) grammar mistakes, this “passionate, enlightening, and easily navigable manual is certainly the right book at the right time” (Publishers Weekly)—reminiscent of the New York Times bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

Our language is changing, literary levels are declining, and our grasp of grammar is at a crisis point. From commas to colons, apostrophes to adverbs, there are countless ways we can make mistakes when writing or speaking. But do not despair! Great Britain’s most popular grammar guru has created the ultimate modern manual for English speakers on both sides of the Atlantic.

In this “irreverent and conversational” (Booklist) guide to proper punctuation and so much more, Gyles Brandreth explores the linguistic horrors of our times, tells us what we’ve been doing wrong, and shows us how to can get it right every time. Covering everything from dangling participles to transitive verbs, from age-old conundrums like “lay” vs. “lie,” to the confounding influences of social media on our everyday language, Have You Eaten Grandma? is an endlessly useful and entertaining resource for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Aug 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781508293996

Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Brandreth is a British writer, broadcaster, and former member of Parliament and government whip, best known these days as a reporter on BBC1’s The One Show. A veteran of British stage and TV, his previous works include six Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective, two volumes of diaries, and two royal biographies. He currently resides in the United Kingdom.

Reviews for Have You Eaten Grandma?

[ashleytylerjohn · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Like several relationships I've had, it was love at first sight. He made me laugh out loud. I looked forward to seeing him again. Every moment was a delight. And then, over time, less so. Until one day I realised his conversation had devolved to a series of lists, and at one point he went on for quite some time simply quoting other people's complaints about evolving word usages that seemed perfectly fine to me.

Five starts for the good times. 0 stars for the lists. Oh, if only it had been one of those short, breezy, vacation affairs--maybe just the chapter on punctuation. Then I would have treasured him forever.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!

[themulhern · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like reading about English, but the writing doesn't suit me. A lot of the book is about non-bookish forms of English, Twitter abbreviations, and so forth. These don't interest me much at all. So the book is not a bad choice for someone who doesn't read books about English, but for someone like me, it's a book to be skipped.