It is the only truly useful book on English prose style that I have ever found. Comments (19). The writing is so clear and direct yet friendly and inviting, I'd love to write half as well as the author of this manual. “Style toward Clarity and Grace” can help, it is a thorough, elaborated yet comprehensible guide book on communicating complexity effectively and elegantly. Buy Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing) First Printing by Williams (ISBN: 9780226899145) from Amazon's Book Store. While writers know best what they want to say, readers … A cohesive paragraph introduces new topic and thematic strings in a predictable position: at the end of the sentence or sentences that introduce the paragraph. Williams recognizes that clear writing is writing that makes the reader feel clear about what he or she is reading. Others demand that you strive for "clarity" or "brevity" or "coherence"--but then somehow never provide any useful advice on just how, exactly, to do so. If you read only one book to improve how you write, edit, and read English prose, then in my opinion, it should be this book by Joseph Williams. English, language-Style. I'm too damn old to run like a runner any more, no why not plug on with paragraphs and pages as if they were timed laps on the track? Most books on how to write better English are pretty near to useless. I'll return to these exercises when revising my work in the future. I know that. Provides grammatical & syntactic explanations for why certain sentences are clearer or less clear. The precursor of this book was a text book of writing for undergraduate students in US, which is to say this may not. Writing is a difficult task (to say nothing of writing with a second language), no one is in more need of guidance and help than a writer who doesn’t know how to put her thoughts into words in a captivating and convincing way. (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1985) and Richard A. Lanham, Revising Prose (New York: Scribners, 1979). The author says "it is good to write clearly, and anyone can". I think that these last four chapters are less successful than the other chapters of the book. His advice starts at the level of the sentence. Some reviewers have dinged the man for being a less-than-graceful writer from time to time. The main characters of this young adult, fantasy story are Jared Grace, Simon Grace. Williams believes that readers find sentences easy to read and understand when the logic of the thought follows the logic of the sentence: the subjects of sentences should be the actors, and the verbs of the sentence should be the crucial actions. Be the first to ask a question about Style. ISBN 0-226-89915-2. You will profit from this book. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. But of course that isn't the way writing wor. It teaches a system of prin-ciples for clarity… It is the only truly useful book on English prose style … I, at least, have never found a better. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. This valuable text offers a comprehensive approach to revising complex prose into a form that is optimal for the reader. I naturally write like a runner, as if getting to the finish line first were the only measure of success. Style : toward clarity and grace by Williams, Joseph M. Publication date 1990 ... and effective writing. Strunk and White's Elements of Style and Joseph Williams' Style Toward Clarity and Grace When I initially thought about writing style I believed that there would be some nice neat definition, and maybe a few rules that would govern writing with “style”. Williams has figured out some aspects of writing no one else has. For the tens of people out there who actually have to, Yum, grammar porn! It's geared toward … I am a Spanish native speaker that learned how to chew some words in English rather than formally took classes in a language school: that's on life, true; but is not an excuse to conduct me incorrectly using English as my professional language: that's on me. Despite some places where I felt where Williams went into too much detail, I thoroughly enjoyed his chapter on usage because it was just another tally mark of books that I've read that talk about how teaching nothing but grammar to students actually makes them worse writers. A cohesive paragraph has consistent thematic strings. paper) 1. Sep 12, 2020 JoAnne rated it liked it. “The best-selling style book, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Seventh Edition, presents principles of writing to help students diagnose their prose quickly and revise it effectively. Memo to self: Maybe I should make my graduate students buy this? Style : toward clarity and grace Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Readers will find a paragraph to be coherent if it has one single articulate summary sentence, which is almost always found either at the end of the paragraph or as the last of the paragraph's introductory sentences. Writers can … I also appreciate his easy refreshers for concepts like 'nominalization,' 'summative clause,' and the difference between coherence and cohesion. Rather, this is a book for experienced writers who are unhappy with how they write, and are flailing around looking for some way to improve their writing. A cohesive paragraph has consistent topic strings. Williams is phenomenal in his deep understanding of what makes poor writing awful, and what makes good writing delightful. Fortunately, Joseph Williams' latest edition of Style, Toward Clarity and Grace illuminates a path for the lost in search of becoming a better writer. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Ser. Check out Williams. My ten take away lessons from reading his guidance on writing: You can use a … Though you'll find it mostly discussing non-fiction examples, the lessons are the same. It is all in here; the history of how the English language assimilated multiple words, with different origins, that have similar or identical meanings; how obtu. So many books on style give prescriptions for what good writing looks like without telling you how to get there. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Most books on style are rule-based: follow these rules and you will be a good writer. Williams breaks the writing process into 10 key elements that ensure that the message is correct and will be read. When you introduce a technical term, design the sentence it appears in so that you can locate that term at the end, in its stress, never at the beginning, in its topic. I also appreciate his easy refreshers for concepts like 'nominalization,' 'summative clause,' and the difference between coherence and cohesion. We’d love your help. Shelves: writing-book. Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. A Rather Expensive Guide with Little Unique Content, This is my favorite left-brained writing book. These things only stay fresh in my mind if I take myself back to school now and then. Already applying what I learned in my work. I don't agree with everything he said, but his book is the first style manual I've ever read that I would have no qualms about suggesting to others. I have no interest in reading bad writing for the sole purpose of practicing ways to improve it. I wonder why I was never introduced to it when attending university 'cause it not only clarifies plenty of practical and fundamental knowledge about writing in English (or rewriting, quoting the author) but helps a great deal when you want to rephrase a more complex sentence and make it less impersonal and obscure, especially when the materials are offered - those you read in textbooks or professional writing - by someone who isn't capable of writing in a clearer and simpler way. Start your review of Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace Plus Pearson Writer -- Access Card Package (12th Edition) Write a review. (However, the fangs-bared attack on "pop grammarians" found in the last chapter is fun to read.). Williams attempts to transform the content of the book … I believe a fine-tuned ear comes from what you read. I'm too damn old to run like a runner any more, no why not plug on with paragraphs and pages as if they were timed laps on the track? Even Strunk and White cannot compete with the quality … It's taking me forever to read it, but that's okay, and when I finish, I might just go back and read it again. Despite some places where I felt where Williams went into too much detail, I thoroughly enjoyed his chapter on usage because it was just another tally mark of books that I've read that talk about how teaching nothing but grammar to students actually makes them worse writers. It is the only truly useful book on English prose style that I have ever found. -(Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing) Includes bibliographical references. Tags: amazon style: toward clarity and grace, joseph m. Williams, strunk and white style guide, style lessons in clarity and grace 10th edition, style lessons in clarity and grace 12th edition exercise answers, style lessons in clarity and grace 12th edition online, style lessons in clarity and grace 12th edition pdf, style lessons in clarity and grace 12th edition summary, style … LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers This book helped my writing and offered tips and ways to change my writing to make it more graceful and elegant. Every chapter featured a different aspect of writing that could be improved. A coherent paragraph will typically locate that point sentence in one of two places: as the last of the sentences that introduce the paragraph, or at the end of the paragraph. 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