The story of be

It's the most simple, unassuming, innocent-looking verb: 'to be'. Yet it is jam-packed with more different meanings, forms, and uses than any other English word. As he reveals be's multiple incarnations, David Crystal takes us to the heart of our flexible and changing language. He tells the intriguing story in 26 chapters, each linked to a particular usage. We meet circumstantial 'be' ('how are you?'), numerical 'be' ('two and two is four'), quotative 'be' ('so I was like, "wow"'), and ludic 'be' ('oh no he isn't!'), and a whole swarm of other meanings. Bringing the ideas to life are a host of examples from sources as varied as 'Beowulf', Jane Austen, pantomime, 'Hamlet' (of course), and 'Star Wars', with cartoons from Ed McLachlan and Punch peppered throughout. Full of fascinating nuggets of information, it is a book to delight any lover of words and language.