Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk

A lot of young people are intimidated by the very thought of studying Shakespeare and his words that sound so strange to modern ears but this book is a great introduction to the language of the bard. Shakespeare not only invented words, but he shaped our language with phrases that have become very familiar and convey strong meanings.

Author Jane Sutcliffe has clearly done her homework and found wonderful examples of Shakespeare’s creativity with words. Each spread in the book has a text block discussing London in Shakespeare’s time or the workings of theatre in those days or something about Shakespeare’s works. In those text blocks, she uses the words or phrases common today that come from the bard. On the opposite page she highlights the word, explains what it means, and cites it’s usage in his plays.

The writing is lively and fun and often tongue-in-cheek. Illustrations by John Shelley have a Where’s Waldo look to them and are full of fun details. By the time one is done with this cute book, one has learned quite a bit about Shakespeare and life in his time. This deserves wide readership.