This difference in orientation makes Williams's advice much more profound: he has a theory of why the rules are what they are (and what to do when the rules conflict) that books that focus on rules alone lack. While writers know best what they want to say, readers … Readers are likely to feel that they are reading prose that is clear and direct when the subjects of the sentences name the cast of characters. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. I could watch Williams parse beautiful, grammatically sophisticated sentences all day long. Start your review of Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace Plus Pearson Writer -- Access Card Package (12th Edition) Write a review. His advice continues at the level of the paragraph. Some reviewers have dinged the man for being a less-than-graceful writer from time to time. I had to read this book for a writing class I took called, "Writing, Technology, and Style." 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. Perhaps more important, the advice that Williams gives can be used. “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. This book helped my writing and offered tips and ways to change my writing to make it more grac. Williams tells us how to do it. Everyday low prices and free … I knew that I did a lot of things this book said were common mistakes and it was nice to see how clunky and cluttered it made writing and how I could fix it. It is the only truly useful book on English prose style that I have ever found. My ten take away lessons from reading his guidance on writing: You can use a … I like it that Williams gets me to think about sentences. Welcome back. … I could watch Williams parse beautiful, grammatically sophisticated sentences all day long. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace asserts that style is a matter of making informed choices in the service of one’s readers. Free shipping for … By Joseph M. Williamsand - Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (11th Edition) (Paperback) Pearson; 11 Edition (February 7, 2013) - [Bargain Books] Book is fully redable as intended. 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. English, language-Style. The main characters of this young adult, fantasy story are Jared Grace, Simon Grace. Even Strunk and White cannot compete with the quality of the advice that Williams gives. DeLong's Grasping Reality © J. Bradford DeLong 1995-2019, Williams, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, Econ 210a: Fall 2006: Trade and the Industrious Revolution Major Headings. EMBED. I believe a fine-tuned ear comes from what you read. Click to read more about Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams. Williams attempts to transform the content of the book … Put at the beginning of a sentence those ideas that you have already mentioned, referred to, or implied, or concepts that you can reasonably assume your reader is already familiar with, and will readily recognize. Williams recognizes that clear writing is writing that makes the reader feel clear about what he or she is reading. Many of them scare you into worrying that you might use "which" when you should use "that" (never mind that an extra "which" never caused any reader the smallest bit of confusion). 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. To meet these ends Williams laid out streamlined steps to help writers first make their sentences and paragraphs clear and then graceful. Again, there were quite a few chapters in this book that I glossed over because some of the things Williams was saying were too com. The precursor of this book was a text … I also appreciate his easy refreshers for concepts like 'nominalization,' 'summative clause,' and the difference between coherence and cohesion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. I have no interest in reading bad writing for the sole purpose of practicing ways to improve it. Williams, Joseph M. Style: Toward clarity and grace. It is designed to empower the reader to make their own decisions about rules and choose a style, rather than suggesting a "best" style and how to follow it. I genuinely believe this book will make a great, life-time companion as my reading and writing experience grows with time. Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace reflectsthe wisdom and clear authorial voice of Williams’ best-selling book, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, while streamlining every chapter to create a very brief, yet powerfully direct guide to writing with style.. Each chapter is preceded by quotes that illustrate the point of the following section beautifully, poetically. These things only stay fresh in my mind if I take myself back to school now and then. 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. This is the best "how to" book I've ever read. So many books on style give prescriptions for what good writing looks like without telling you how to get there. advanced undergrads, grad students, scholars who can't master coherent writing, A book to buy to have in your reference library, along with The Elements of Style and The Chicago Manual of Style. Have you ever thought of your sentences as stories? Goodreads Members Suggest: Favorite Very Quick Reads. Book Overview This acclaimed book is a master teacher's tested program for turning clumsy prose into clear, powerful, and effective writing. “Style toward Clarity and Grace” can help, it is a thorough, elaborated yet comprehensible guide book on communicating complexity effectively and elegantly. Readers are likely to feel that they are reading prose that is clear and direct when the verbs that go with those subjects name the crucial actions those characters are part of. This is my favorite left-brained writing book. 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. Joseph Williams’ “Lessons in Clarity and Grace” is one of the best books of clear and graceful writing. Though you'll find it mostly discussing non-fiction examples, the lessons are the same. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing Ser. I, at least, have never found a better. (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1985) and Richard A. Lanham, Revising Prose (New York: Scribners, 1979). Put at the end of your sentence the newest, the most surprising, the most significant information: information that you want to stress--perhaps the information that you will expand on in your next sentence. This is not a book for the uninitiated. Don't know how I actually bumped into this great book, I guess I was just fortunate when I fortuitously picked the right book that accidentally mentioned it. Be the first to ask a question about Style. A Rather Expensive Guide with Little Unique Content, This is my favorite left-brained writing book. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Provides grammatical & syntactic explanations for why certain sentences are clearer or less clear. 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. 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 obtuse, and turgid, academic writing became in the interest of appearing erudite; and of course, how you can cut, slash, and burn, your own sentences so that they leap off the page in a way that the reader effortlessly absorbs your meaning, intent and thoughts. Rather than just explaining how to write clearly, Williams also explains why some things work and some don't.. Toward Clarity and Grace … Refresh and try again. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Style : Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams (2002, Trade Paperback) at the best online prices at eBay! 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. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. 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. Again, there were quite a few chapters in this book that I glossed over because some of the things Williams was saying were too complicated, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this book. His advice starts at the level of the sentence. The sentences that make up a paragraph should have consistent topics. I fell in love with the way that Williams debunked the invented rules that grammarians use to bludgeon writers and rant about the death of the English language. A logical, expert, easy-to-use plan for achieving excellence in expression. We used this book in one of our editing courses this year, and honestly it was phenomenal. This doesn't detract from the book's value for me. 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 … To any writing, fiction included into a form that is n't the way writing.. Style - the Basics of Clarity and Grace is an exception and the difference between coherence and.... 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