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For the Media
Welcome to the media resource center for Viva Books and Viva Training. Here you'll find resources and press information for you to use in print and online. This centre will be updated regularly with news clips and other timely content. I'm glad you're here, and look forward to seeing you back often.
Please feel free to use any content on this page as-is, or repurpose it for any media/press-related articles or reviews. Permission is granted by Pamela Thorne and the publisher, Viva Books.
Facts about How Much Can a Koala Bear?
Title: How Much Can a Koala Bear? A Guide to Commonly Confused Words.
Details: 208 pages, 150 x 230 mm, trade paperback
Author: Pamela Thorne
Publication Date: 1 March, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-9806801-0-2
Publisher: Viva Books, Ste 62,125 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022 Australia
Available: www.publishingalley.com www.vivatraining.com.au
QUOTES FROM PAMELA
- As more and more people write and edit their own emails, blogs, and websites, they’re looking for an accessible resource that will help them with troublesome words. This book is for them.
- It’s a guide for the pitfalls of everyday troublesome words. It’s for those who can’t remember the difference between flout and flaunt, and flammable and inflammable.
- Few professional career accomplishments will pay off more in terms of career success than learning to write and speak correctly.
TALKING POINTS
- Why I Wrote the Book
Like it or not, some people get quite worked up if you use misuse words such as stationery, or use less instead of fewer, or flaunt instead of flout. We can’t remember all the oddities and quirks of the English language, so I created a ready reference for these common word confusions.
- How the English language is changing
English is an unruly, changeable, and idiosyncratic language. Sometimes it simply defies logic. George Bernard Shaw once suggested we might as well spell the word fish as ghoti: ‘gh’ as in tough’ ‘o’ as in women; and ‘ti’ as in motion.
- Using the Right Word
English is full of sound-alike words that confuse even well-read people. Yet, it’s important to use the right word in the right place because we are judged on our use of language. Is the music continual or continuous? Do the negotiators defuse a situation or diffuse it? Do I refute an argument, rebut it, or deny it? It's not always easy to remember the distinctions between these words. Using a dictionary involves a lot of flicking pages back and forth. That’s where a ready reference like How Much Can a Koala Bear? comes in handy.
- Literacy Levels Among Employees
A recent study showed that poor literacy among workers has become a serious productivity and safety issue. Almost half of all working Australians have less than the minimum literacy needed to meet the everyday demands of work. They can’t read safety instructions, operating procedures, or training manuals.
- Shift to Knowledge-Based Workforce
For most people writing is a necessary evil. It’s something they have to do, but they don’t see it as their real job -- only an adjunct. But that’s not true. As we’ve shifted to a knowledge-based workforce, it’s more important than ever to be able to use words correctly, and to communicate clearly.
CONTACT
Pamela Thorne
Viva Training
Suite 62, 125 Oxford Street,
Bondi Junction,
NSW 2022
Australia
Phone: +61 (02) 9527 6448
