Showing posts with label writing skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing skills. Show all posts

38% Off Discounts: Purchase Cheap How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One Review

How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One

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How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One Review

Author Annie Dillard ("The Writing Life," 1989) was asked by a student, "Do you think I could be a writer?" Dillard's response: "Do you like sentences?" According to Stanley Fish, author of "How to Write a Sentence," it's as important for writers to genuinely like sentences as it is for great painters to like paint. For those who enjoy an effective sentence and all that it involves, this short (160 page) book is insightful, interesting and entertaining. For those who consider reading or writing a chore, perhaps this book can help one's interest level and motivation regarding sentences, though the author's intended audience is clearly those with a genuine interest in writing.
Fish would seem to be well qualified to write, having taught at the University of California at Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. However, as any student who has suffered with a highly qualified--yet thoroughly boring--professor knows, a significant part of the education/communication process involves instilling motivation. That's where Fish shines. If it might seem that a whole book on sentences has to be boring, Stanley Fish quickly overcomes this perception. His book is divided into 10 chapters: (1) Why Sentences?; (2) Why You Won't Find the Answer in Strunk and White [Strunk and White authored the classic, "The Elements of Style"]; (3) It's Not the Thought That Counts [nothing like a little provocation to get us interested]; (4) What Is a Good Sentence?; (5) The Subordinating Style; (6) The Additive Style; (7) The Satiric Style: The Return of Content; (8) First Sentences; (9) Last Sentences; and (10) Sentences That Are About Themselves (Aren't They All?).
Author Fish includes many examples of powerful sentences from a very wide range of writers, such as Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Cicero, Lewis Carroll, Michel de Montaigne, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens and others. Here's one illustrative example from John Updike: Describing the home run Ted Williams hit at his last at-bat in Boston's Fenway Park on September 28, 1960, Updike wrote, "It was in the books while it was still in the sky." Think about that for a minute.
In conclusion, Stanley Fish is an enthusiastic writer, and he manages to convey and transmit his enthusiasm for writing clear, effective sentences in this highly readable book. If you are interested in writing (and reading), this book is worth your careful consideration.
UPDATE on January 29, 2011: I wrote the above from the viewpoint of the reader contemplating buying this book for his or her own use. As I think more about the book, however, there's another possibility worth exploring. Specifically, this book could make a fine graduation (or other) gift to a niece, nephew or friend's child. First, it's short and easy to read, which means it might actually get read. Second, good writing is important in any profession. Third, the book helps reinforce the point that if you want to get good at something, it pays to study experts in the field. Fourth, and perhaps most important, the book supports the point that success in writing--as in virtually all endeavors--comes from practice, practice, practice. That's a pretty useful message to send any student.

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Lowest Price The St. Martin's Guide to Writing Review

The St. Martin's Guide to Writing

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The St. Martin's Guide to Writing Review

I consider this book to be one of the best how-to-write books I've read. I'm not a college student, but a writer who wants to sharpen skills, and I have found many sections of the book to be extremely helpful--the section on writing profiles, for example, and the one on writing autobiographical essays, just to name two. I've also found the information contained in other sections--such as Narrating, Illustrating, Comparing and Contrasting, Field Research--to be invaluable. I'm so glad I came across this book! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a detailed plan for learning to be an excellent writer.

The St. Martin's Guide to Writing Overview

The best-selling college rhetoric for nearly 25 years, The St. Martin's Guide has achieved an unparalleled record of success by providing practical innovations for the ever-changing composition course. Comprehensive yet flexible, The Guide's acclaimed step-by-step guides to each type of writing offer sure-fire invention strategies to get students started, combined with thorough advice on critical reading, working with sources, and careful revision. Axelrod and Cooper's class-tested guidance on visual rhetoric, online teaching and learning, and more is available for instructors who incorporate these topics into their courses — but not intrusive, for those who don't. The new edition has been re-engineered to reflect and build on the actual writing processes of students and does even more to prepare them for the writing they will do in other college courses.

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Purchase Cheap They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing Review

They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing

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They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing Review

I received this book too late to use it for my persuasive writing class. While I had moderate success with my other book, Everything's an Argument, I would certainly use this book if I had to do it all over again.
They Say/I Say is a short book with a simple premise -- it correctly states that no argument occurs in a vacuum, but must depend upon what others have to say about it. Moreover, the authors believe one of the principle difficulties which students have with persuasive writing is an inability to correctly utilize these necessary ingredients (introduce what others have to say on the subject, and then present their own voice on the matter). Though I am not a writing teacher, I have found this to be the case in my classes.
TSIS summarizes the important aspects of this conversation in persuasive writing and provides templates for students to summarize what others say, introduce their own points, and perform various other techniques. While one may think the use of such templates leads to formulaic writing, the authors suggest the opposite is the case. By understanding how to shape their ideas, students can learn to better express their orginal thoughts, thus making their writing more individual.
While I am inclined to agree, TSIS is not perfect. It certainly cannot be used as a thorough textbook on all persuasive writing, nor am I completely convinced that the exercises provided in the book are the most effective at using the templates in student writing. If teachers can get students to incorporate the ideas of TSIS into student's writing, however, they will accomplish much. Check it out for yourself.

They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing Overview


Identifying the moves that matter in academic writing in ways that students can readily understand and apply.
"They Say / I Say" shows that writingwell means mastering some key rhetorical moves,the most important of which involves summarizing what others have said ("they say") to set upone's own argument("I say"). In addition toexplaining the basic moves, this book provideswriting templates that show students explicitlyhow to make these moves in their own writing.

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Purchase Cheap A Pocket Style Manual 5e with 2009 MLA Review

A Pocket Style Manual 5e with 2009 MLA

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A Pocket Style Manual 5e with 2009 MLA Review

A Valuable Resource *****
Let's get one thing clear. This book is not a comprehensive book on grammar, syntax, or anything else. It's designed to be a handy little quick-reference for busy people. In this respect, the book succeeds admirably. It covers everything you might need to look up in a pinch--I'm a writer and it's nice to have something that is even faster than the internet to use. That's the goal of this book (I think).
The spiral binding is nice--it's a bother to have a reference book that won't stay open when you are trying to type on a computer. Hacker thought of everything to make the book more efficient to use. The trim size is odd. I think it's designed to fit in a back pocket, although I don't know any woman that would ever stuff a book into her pants, I guess it's possible that a male reader might do it.
It's a little pricey for a quick-reference, but I'm betting that Amazon will discount the book eventually. At least it qualifies for super-saver shipping at full price. Great little reference!

A Pocket Style Manual 5e with 2009 MLA Overview

Click here to find out more about the 2009 MLA Updates and the 2010 APA Updates.

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Buy Cheap "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings Review

They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings

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"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings Review

Even as a writer, writing teacher, and rhetorician, I could not see how many gaps I left in my writing until this book. So much of the writing process was just flung at me in public school that I was fortunate to absorb dribs and drabs. Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst dismantle writing into a system, based on the most recent rhetorical research, and lay the process out in short chapters, plain language, and a scheme of templates that students can use to kick-start their own writing.
The authors' thesis is that writing is an uncomplicated process which can be reduced to a handful of rhetorical components. If students see writing as a social act, joining a larger conversation already in process, they will produce engaging writing which both they and their teachers will enjoy. Since the book is laced with examples of effective and ineffective writing, there is no doubt as to which the authors aim for, making evaluation a simple, somewhat objective process.
This book seeks to be accessible to a mass audience. It's written in vernacular English, using examples from current culture and respected print sources. It is so straightforward that teachers can use it at multiple levels, from advanced middle school up through college composition. It's so explicit that it could even be used without a teacher, with only a writing group or college writing center to fill in the role of hands-on assistance with individual problems.
This "With Readings" edition contains the full text of Graff and Birkenstein's original short primer of the same title. The original is less than 150 pages and can be digested in small segments by teachers and students alike. This edition contains over 250 pages of articles from respected print and online publications to guide students into the larger writerly discourse. Selected authors include George Will, Thomas Friedman, Eric Schlosser, and Barack Obama.
My only regret is that I did not receive this book sooner. My teaching career up to this point would have been both easier and more productive if I had enjoyed this text, which simply states everything I wanted to say. Both teachers and students often make writing a more difficult process than it needs to be, but this book strips the mystification away and makes classroom writing as easy and clear-cut as the conversations students already have.

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45% Off Discounts: Lowest Price Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Review

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Review

This is not a how-to book. This is not a New Age manual for freeing your creativity in ethereal ways. This is Anne Lamott, for heaven's sake...and that means it's funny! As in, laugh- till-you-can't-read-the-words-through-the-tears-in-your-eyes funny. (Some call this therapy, and I'm inclined to agree.)
Though aimed at writers, this book is full of sage advice and razor-edged honesty for the average joe. If you're a writer--and I claim to be one--it's more than a few anecdotes and good advice; it's a lifeline in the thrashing seas of rough-draftdom, a foothold on the sands of jealousy and vain ambition. Anne makes it clear that writing must be pursued for something other than mere publication. (Though, to be honest, I know she's just trying to let the majority of us down easy.) Writing is about letting go, growing, facing truths, and holding on.
I'm hooked on Lamott. She slaps me in the face with her startling revelations, nudges me in the ribs with her unpredictable humor, and prods my frozen little writer's hands back into action with warm compassion. This book won't solve the mechanical aspects of my writing, or lead me on the path of structural excellence, but it will spark my creativity, free my characters to be true to themselves, and, ultimately, shake me from my doldrums back into the writing mode.
In a society addicted to mindless facts and information, "Bird by Bird" reminds us--writers or otherwise--that it's all about heart. Heart and mind and soul dancing together, even if they step all over each other's feet.

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45% Off Discounts: Lowest Price On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft Review

On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

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On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft Review

For the legions of Stephen King fans out there (which is to say a lot), the first third of the book containing his short memoir is truly a gift. One can't help wanting to read about his/her favorite writer after being transported to fantastic worlds countless times in Mr. King's prolific career. Some fans would have paid... gladly for the first 101 pages of the memoir ("C.V." he calls it), which includes heartfelt tidbits about his brother, mother and his long battles with alcohol and drug addiction.
The second part, "On Writing," is where the aspiring novelists will find inspiration. Assuming you're a serious writer (or wanting to be a published one), you'd no doubt would have read the countless manuals on the mechanics of writing. With Mr. King, you do get short lessons in the mechanics of prose here and there. What he mostly offers to the aspiring writer is the inspiration, the cheerleading, and as some have already suggested, after reading it makes you want to sit and write something. He actually allows you into his writing routine, when and where he writes, how many months it takes to write the first draft, and even how he goes about editing the second draft.
Some very original thoughts I found quite interesting:
1. Story is a fossil you find on the ground, and you gradually dig it out slowly.
2. He doesn't plot his stories. He puts "a group of characters in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free." In fact he even goes as far as to say, "plot is shift, and best kept under house arrest."
3. Write first draft with the "door" closed, and the second draft with it open.
There are truly gems here for writers, simple, direct, to the point. As always, he doesn't talk down to you. There is even advice on finding agents.
The final section elaborates his near-death experience in summer of 1999, when he was hit by a van driven by Bryan Smith. The book is actually a sandwich: two slices of autobigraphy with the writing advice as the meat of the book.
Though the thin volume was not your edge-of-the-seat thriller or horror, I found myself reading the darn thing in one seating. A pretty good deal for a non-fiction book. This may sound funny, too, but I felt like the book became a good friend of mine. In a word, this is book is intimate. As a fan, and perhaps a writer, that might be worth something.

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16% Off Discounts: Special Prices for Short Guide to Writing About Art, A (10th Edition) (The Short Guide) Review

Short Guide to Writing About Art, A (10th Edition) (The Short Guide)

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Short Guide to Writing About Art, A (10th Edition) (The Short Guide) Review

My Art History department adopted this book as its official style-manual a few years ago, and we assign it as a textbook for our writing and methodology class. To my great dismay, however, our bookstore has had some trouble ordering it this year, and so I have encouraged my students to "cut the Gordion knot" by ordering it from Amazon. The chapters on choosing a topic and organizing an argument are, I think, useful and well-written, but the greatest value of this book is Chapters 9 and 10, which provide clear instructions for writing footnotes and bibliography. This may be a mechanical task, but it is a frustrating one for many students, because there are so many possible formats to use (MLA, Turabian, etc.) Barnet's system has the virtue of being designed specifically for research papers about art and art history, and the format he recommends is clear and logical. The book also reprints the instructions for contributors from the Art Bulletin, the most prestigious art-historical journal in this country, and so will be of value for graduate students and recent PhD's preparing their first works for publication.

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Purchase Cheap The Elements of Style Review

The Elements of Style

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The Elements of Style Review

This is not the Elements of Style 4th edition in paperback. Its a condensed version of it and should not be a paperback choice of the original hardcover. Will be returning it!

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Best Buy for The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Review

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

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The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Review

When I write a book I use only a handful of reference tools: dictionary, thesaurus, Gregg's Reference Handbook, Writers Market, and the Elements of Style. Strunk and White is a wonderfully-written, extraordinarily concise tool that pays homage to classic high-end English. It takes language insight to make this prediction in 1979: "By the time this paragraph makes print, uptight... rap, dude, vibes, copout, and funky will be the words of yesteryear." The book begins with eleven "Elementary Rules of Usage," and then continues with eleven more "Elementary Rules of Composition," and eleven "Matters of Form." Each is presented as a brief statement followed by another sentence or two of explanation and a few clarifying examples. This amazing compilation fills only thirty-eight pages, yet covers ninety percent of good writing fundamentals. My favorite section is Chapter IV, a twenty-seven-page, alphabetical listing of commonly misused words and expressions. Here's a trade secret: when my manuscript is "done," I then turn to this chapter and use my word processor's Find function to study every instance of all these problematic words and phrases. I never fail to find errors this way. Many great writers are so only because they've learned to make use of the best available tools. The end of the book contains an essay on "An Approach to Style" with a list of twenty-one "Reminders." Those who fight the apparently-natural tendency to go against these recommendations succeed as writers. Those who don't, fail. It's that simple. The single drawback of The Elements of Style is that it's too concise; it does not stand alone as an all-encompassing tutorial or reference guide. Many readers will seek other sources for more in-depth explanation of style elements. Despite that, it easily replaces ten pounds of other reference material. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Overview



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45% Off Discounts: Best Price The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law 2011 Review

The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law 2011

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The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law 2011 Review

The AP Stylebook 2011. It is what it is. Great, useful book when working with any kind of writing. Has the "approved" abbreviations and spellings of many confusing or disputed words. Helps me be consistent with the rest of my organization.

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47% Off Discounts: Lowest Price The Elements of Style (4th Edition) Review

The Elements of Style (4th Edition)

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The Elements of Style (4th Edition) Review

I was looking for a book with basic rules of english grammar to improve the presentation in my recent report and forthcoming thesis. Something that had all in one place, was concise, to the point and no novel-likeness. Strunk & White was the prescription. It has everything a writer needs in terms of language and some aspects of style and presentation. It speaks of the obvious but precious gems which people tend to forget over time. I am impressed with the organisation of the book. What I was really looking for was, Elements of usage and An approach to Style. I recommend this for students planning to write reports, thesis, term papers or any sort of writing that needs to be crisp and clear.The Fine Art of Technical Writing by Carol Rosenblum Perry would be an excellent along with the "little" book for students. It's a necessity if you are in the academia, it's a great aid otherwise.

The Elements of Style (4th Edition) Overview

You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book's unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing.

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Best Price A Pocket Style Manual, Fifth Edition Review

A Pocket Style Manual, Fifth Edition

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A Pocket Style Manual, Fifth Edition Review

Good little book, but I'll take her full version any day for upper COLLEGE LEVEL and grad school level work ("A Writer's Reference"), even at twice the price. It's been worth every dollar I paid for it and then some! I've used many ref guides: Ms. Hacker outstrips them all by light years.
But this little guy is very handy, and will get you where you need to go with citations and such as long as you're into basics. PERFECT for high schoolers and for freshmen/sophs in college, but beyond that: GET THE BIG BOOK ("A Writer's Reference")! It's too good to pass up!

A Pocket Style Manual, Fifth Edition Overview



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Best Buy for They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing Review

They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing

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They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing Review

My English 101 professor had us use this book to make our papers pop! Some may say that this book is elementary, but I think that it is perfect for those that were never taught how to build an argument in an essay/research paper. I find the templates useful, and I will use them until the ideas start to kick in naturally. This is an excellent book, and I will always have a copy on hand.

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