ENGLISH BITES - BOOK REVIEW

Title : ENGLISH BITES
Language : English
Author : Manish Gupta
Genre : Non-Fiction/ Self-Help/ GuideBook
Publisher : Penguin ( 2012 )
ISBN-13 : 9780143419006
ISBN-10 : 0143419005
Binding : Paperback
Price : Rs. 250 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs. 215/- ( 14% Off )
Pages : 344

The Book Summary : English Bites!: My Fullproof English Learning Formula is a guidebook to help readers master the English language. This book is filled with autobiographical experiences, footnotes, funny anecdotes, and a range of new words and their usage. English Bites! published in 2012, has been designed to help readers overcome language barriers, and to learn fluent English. The author speaks about his own experiences, and explains how he used to be a tongue-tied schoolboy. However, over time he developed his foothold over the English language, and finally became a well-versed banker. This book has a autobiographical feel to it, as it is filled with humorous stories of Gupta’s experiences and misadventures with the Queen’s language.
The author promises that readers of English Bites! will be able to inculcate more than a thousand new words in their vocabulary through easy and effective techniques. The differences between similar sounding words are also explained, in addition to descriptions about when and where to use them. Delightful incidences have been incorporated to showcase how terms can have different meanings in different situations. Furthermore, meanings of new words are mentioned at the footer of each page. In addition to this, English Bites! also contains trivia which ranges from B-school jargon to origin of words to brand names, and more. This guidebook is not a traditional self-help book. Jokes, anecdotes, and funny illustrations keep the reader’s interest in place, and makes learning fun. This book can be used by candidates of CAT/GRE/XAT/GMAT, those who wish to develop a better command over English, and any language enthusiast. English Bites!: My Fullproof English Learning Formula, the author’s debut work, is the perfect guide to improve one’s verbal abilities.

My Point of View ( P.O.V ) : When I have to review, I try and read non-fiction or self-help kinda genre of books with extra caution, because the information on it is usually meant to impact our real lives unlike fiction. So I took my time and gave several readings on this one, before coming up with the review. There's nothing much to write about the book cover. It is pleasant and gives enough indication what the book is about inside. The book as is obvious from the title is about the hurdles one faces in learning English and how to overcome it and be perfect with it. It is written in a very humourous and witty manner, that makes the book so much fun to read, unlike what would be just another monotonous guide book. The author has given several personal instances too ( the initial struggles that he had with the language himself and how he overcame them ), so in a way, you're interacting him as well as getting to know the language while reading. Hence, it is quite relatable and engaging. Its an ideal book for a beginner as well as one pro in the language, as it only expands our vocabulary and improvises overall ( i.e grammar, punctuation et all ). I loved the unique way the subject is handled, that makes it very easy for the laymen to understand, plus he learns lots of new stuff as well.

My own English has been okay, since I went to an English convent and used to score good marks on it. But after school I chose another stream, which made me drift away from the language and I forgot lot of things I had learnt, as I merely used it only for formal communications. But the book "English Bites" pleasantly reminded me of the things I had learn on the subject, refreshed my memories but in a totally different manner. It has valuable tips on correct pronunciation, diction, spellings etc and also the correct meanings of words. And the best part is everything is explained beautifully along with its origins, that you don't loose interest. The footnotes along with the illustrations are very interesting and not to be missed. I truly enjoyed it. Its a book to keep close by and read over and over to excel in the language. Savour it and not devour :-)




Positives : A very fluid and smoothly written delightful piece, narrated in a story telling manner. The book is somewhat autobiographical, but takes it to another level by making it a very useful resource on the subject of 'English'. I'll highly recommend it to those wanting to learn English in a less stressful way.
Negatives : None!
Who will enjoy this? - Everyone!
Buy or Don’t Buy? – A Must Buy!

About the Author : Manish Gupta is an Indian author, and banker. Gupta graduated with an engineering degree from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He then worked at Tata Motors, and later did his MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur. He started his career in the financial sector with Citibank, and later became the Head of Sales and Managing Director of a major bank. He has now taken leave from this sector, and plans to work as a trainer, coach, and consultant in the field of education. Gupta’s interest lie in human psychology, and he enjoys travelling as well as adventure sports. He lives in Mumbai with his wife and they have two daughters. Manish can be reached at mystruggleswithenglish@gmail.com


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