” Can I get a mochaccino?’: a statement that, for many, is worse than any number of nails down a blackboard. Not on account of the coffee – most of us drink Ventis aplenty these days – rather it’s the ‘can I get?’ – three words that regularly top the list of British bugbears. “
” From the start, English has happily absorbed words from every tongue it’s encountered. “
” I was fascinated by the shape of words even before I knew what they meant. “
” According to my parents, I’ve always liked to tune into the conversations of others. But rather than hope for a snippet of salacious gossip, it has always been the words themselves that I wanted to understand. “
” English has always been a mongrel tongue, snapping up words from every continent its speakers encountered. “
” I’ve been obsessed with words since I was a little girl, and I am fortunate that each week as resident word expert on ‘Countdown’ I am ideally placed to quiz my guests in dictionary corner about the words and phrases they use. “
All 6 Susie Dent Quotes about Words in picture
Topics: Words quotes