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. Conducted: Tuesday, 31 August 2010 Summary: In this exercise, you will have the opportunity to edit some fairly unreadable prose quoted in the first chapter of a different book by Williams (Style: Toward Clarity and Grace… His advice continues at the level of the paragraph. 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. 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. Start your review of Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace Plus Pearson Writer -- Access Card Package (12th Edition) Write a review. 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. 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. Williams' Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is different. A logical, expert, easy-to-use plan for achieving excellence in expression. 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. These examples and practice exercises help me to think about the phrasing and pacing of my sentences as I write. His advice starts at the level of the sentence. … I'll return to these exercises when revising my work in the future. What would, I t. Yum, grammar porn! Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (also known as Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace and Style: Toward Clarity and Grace) is a book by Joseph M. Williams (1933–2008). I skipped all of the exercises, wishing all the while that Williams had taken the Francine Prose approach, giving me page after page of lovely examples I could wallow in instead of messes he thought I'd enjoy cleaning up. 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.. 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. EMBED. The precursor of this book was a text book of writing for undergraduate students in US, which is to say this may not be the right book for everyone. -(Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing) Includes bibliographical references. Rather than just explaining how to write clearly, Williams also explains why some things work and some don't.. Toward Clarity and Grace … Though you'll find it mostly discussing non-fiction examples, the lessons are the same. Purpose: To give you practice with the second step in Williams's strategy for rewriting prose clearly. I know that. This doesn't detract from the book's value for me. 4.4 out of 5 stars 73. 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. The topic of a sentence is its psychological subject--the idea we announce in the first frew words. Book Overview This acclaimed book is a master teacher's tested program for turning clumsy prose into clear, powerful, and effective writing. But of course that isn't the way writing wor. I read this book one lesson at a time over several months and I found it incredibly useful for improving my writing in a practical sense. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. We used this book in one of our editing courses this year, and honestly it was phenomenal. I could watch Williams parse beautiful, grammatically sophisticated sentences all day long. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990. Williams tells us how to do it. Sep 12, 2020 JoAnne rated it liked it. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace asserts that style is a matter of making informed choices in the service of one’s readers. Style : toward clarity and grace. Citation: The first paragraph was taken from Williams, Joseph M. (1990). Each chapter is preceded by quotes that illustrate the point of the following section beautifully, poetically. The precursor of this book was a text … (However, the fangs-bared attack on "pop grammarians" found in the last chapter is fun to read.). I think that these last four chapters are less successful than the other chapters of the book. Already applying what I learned in my work. Shelves: writing-book. Paperback. [Joseph M Williams] -- This acclaimed book is a master teacher's tested program for turning clumsy prose into clear, powerful, and effective writing. Free shipping for … Williams's advice is particularly useful because it is reader based. paper) 1. This book helped my writing and offered tips and ways to change my writing to make it more grac. 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 acclaimed book is a master teacher's tested program for turning clumsy prose into clear, powerful, and effective writing. I need to reread this book! This book helped my writing and offered tips and ways to change my writing to make it more graceful and elegant. I had to read this book for a writing class I took called, "Writing, Technology, and Style." Joseph M. Williams, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990). Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. It is rich in detail and example, grounded in research, and refreshingly well-balanced. Check out Williams. 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. So many books on style give prescriptions for what good writing looks like without telling you how to get there. LibraryThing is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers Free download or read online Lucindas Secret pdf (ePUB) (The Spiderwick Chronicles Series) book. Many books on "style" are just lists of rules about word choice, constructions to avoid, common stylistic traps, and other such things. This book changed the way I think about sentence structure, and I'm the type of girl who thinks about sentence structure all the time. 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. Provides grammatical & syntactic explanations for why certain sentences are clearer or less clear. Do you want to see someone take a stab at defining "elegance" in writing? An excellent guide to improving your writing style. 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. For a more thorough summary … A Rather Expensive Guide with Little Unique Content, This is my favorite left-brained writing book. I genuinely believe this book will make a great, life-time companion as my reading and writing experience grows with time. The author says "it is good to write clearly, and anyone can". I also appreciate his easy refreshers for concepts like 'nominalization,' 'summative clause,' and the difference between coherence and cohesion. Gives great examples of clear, concise writing along with examples of less clear, less concise writing. I had to read this book for a writing class I took called, "Writing, Technology, and Style." Did you set an extremely ambitious Reading Challenge goal back in January? 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. Joseph Williams (1990), Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (Chicago: University of Chicago: 0226899152). EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? Williams breaks the writing process into 10 key elements that ensure that the message is correct and will be read. 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. What would, I think, if I had read them, were the exercises. 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). Williams recognizes that clear writing is writing that makes the reader feel clear about what he or she is reading. Fortunately, Joseph Williams' latest edition of Style, Toward Clarity and Grace illuminates a path for the lost in search of becoming a better writer. Please enable JavaScript if you would like to comment on this blog. It is the only truly useful book on English prose style that I have ever found. Very, very clear, well written, and it explains the dilemmas and controversies of style. This book was super interesting and taught me a lot. 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. But of course that isn't the way writing works. “Style toward Clarity and Grace” can help, it is a thorough, elaborated yet comprehensible guide book on communicating complexity effectively and elegantly. I would recommend this book. Every chapter featured a different aspect of writing that could be improved. Williams attempts to transform the content of the book from … New topics and new themes should be found at the end of a paragraph's introductory sentence (or sentences). The Elements of Style and Style Toward Clarity and Grace 619 Words | 3 Pages. “Style toward Clarity and Grace” can help, it is a thorough, elaborated yet comprehensible guide book on communicating complexity effectively and elegantly. I, at least, have never found a better. Conducted: Tuesday, 9 September 2003 Summary: In this exercise, you will have the opportunity to rewrite two paragraphs to make them cohere better. 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. Joseph Williams’ “Lessons in Clarity and Grace” is one of the best books of clear and graceful writing. 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. So, gentle reader, if you want to become a better writer of English, go buy and work through this book. It is the only truly useful book on English prose style … 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. But the argument of the book becomes more diffuse. Click to read more about Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams. The concise clarity … Overview This is the type of grammar book, my lovely readers, that I hated being forced to read in high school and collage. This is a brilliant little guide to improving your writing that I wish I had known about when I was an English teacher. Fortunately, Joseph Williams' latest edition of Style, Toward Clarity and Grace illuminates a path for the lost in search of becoming a better writer. He provides many examples and goes through the process of editing samples from good to really great. If you want to learn how to write well, with elegance and power, this is the only book after Strunk and White that will tell you how. Most books on style are rule-based: follow these rules and you will be a good writer. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (9th Edition) ... Best of all are the summary … Williams attempts to transform the content of the book … Williams has figured out some aspects of writing no one else has. 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. 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. | I like it that Williams gets me to think about sentences. I could watch Williams parse beautiful, grammatically sophisticated sentences all day long. 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. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. 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. For the tens of people out there who actually have to, Yum, grammar porn! You can apply them to any writing, fiction included. Buy Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing) First Printing by Williams (ISBN: 9780226899145) from Amazon's Book Store. by University of Chicago Press. 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 … A cohesive paragraph has consistent thematic strings. 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. ISBN 0-226-89914-4 (alk. I especially appreciated lessons 6, 7, and 8. The sentences that make up a paragraph should have consistent topics. Joseph Williams's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace is an exception. The precursor of this book was a text book of writing for undergraduate students in US, which is to say this may not. It's geared toward … The first edition of the novel was published in 2003, and was written by Holly Black. I tutor in a writing center and we read this book as part of our tutoring preparation. summary of original book or the file amazon: style: toward clarity and grace (chicago filled with realistic examples of good, bad, and better writing, and step-by-step strategies for crafting a sentence or organizing a paragraph, style … Regina Oost's (University of Utah) summary of principles treated at much greater length by Joseph M Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, 2nd ed. Have you ever thought of your sentences as stories? Get this from a library! 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. Be the first to ask a question about Style. 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 mate. 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. Not too bad for an English textbook. English, language-Style. Incredibly elegant manual on writing mostly for research purposes. You cannot read it without suddenly seeing how you could become a better writer. His advice concludes with four chapters on being concise, on figuring out the appropriate length, on being elegant, and on using constructions that do not jar the reader. Even Strunk and White cannot compete with the quality of the advice that Williams gives. Williams attempts to transform the content of the book … 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. Some reviewers have dinged the man for being a less-than-graceful writer from time to time. The last four chapters present long lists of things to try to do. Even Strunk and White cannot compete with the quality … ISBN 0-226-89915-2. Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) Joseph M. Williams. The textbook edition, published by … The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 128 pages and is available in Hardcover format. It is the only truly useful book on English prose style that I have ever found. The beginning of a sentence should look back and connect the reader with the ideas that have been mentioned before. You can apply them to any writing, fiction included. Williams, Joseph M. Style: Toward clarity and grace. (Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (9th Edition) 4). Memo to self: Maybe I should make my graduate students buy this? Some reviewers have dinged the man for being a less-than-graceful writer from time to time. 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? We’d love your help. I naturally write like a runner, as if getting to the finish line first were the only measure of success. The first six chapters present and illustrate overarching organizing principles for achieving clarity, coherence, and cohesion. It's more like a performance than a race, slow and persnickety. Start by marking “Style: Toward Clarity and Grace” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Refresh and try again. My favorite parts are when Williams makes the very mistakes he chastises other writers for doing. A practical step above Strunk & White, in my opinion. This is the best "how to" book I've ever read. Every chapter featured a different aspect of writing that could be improved. As Williams puts it, his aim is to go "beyond platitudes." Even Strunk and White cannot compete with the quality of the advice that … My ten take away lessons from reading his guidance on writing: You can use a … October 24, 2006 at 21:53 in #books | Permalink I believe a fine-tuned ear comes from what you read. I have no interest in reading bad writing for the sole purpose of practicing ways to improve it. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Fortunately, Joseph Williams' latest edition of Style, Toward Clarity and Grace illuminates a path for the lost in search of becoming a better writer. This valuable text offers a comprehensive approach to revising complex prose into a form that is optimal for the reader. A couple of things ESL learners may want to know before they pick up this book: it says little about grammar, nothing about choosing the right words and collocation; it is not a book on how to write correctly, but how to write well. The main characters of this young adult, fantasy story are Jared Grace, Simon Grace. Williams was a professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. 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! 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. 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Like 'nominalization, ' and the difference between coherence and cohesion is the only truly useful book on prose... Your writing that could be improved the sentences that make up a paragraph should have consistent.! Interesting and taught me a lot is n't the way writing works, fantasy story are Grace... A practical step above Strunk & White, in my mind if I take myself back to school now then.