Product Description: Assuming no prior knowledge, books in the series offer an accessible overview of the subject, with activities, study questions, sample analyses, commentaries and key readings – all in the same volume. The innovative and flexible ‘two-dimensional’ structure is built around four sections – introduction, development, exploration and extension – which offer self-contained stages for study...read more

Plain English is an essential tool for effective communication. Information transmitted in letters, documents, reports, contracts, and forms is clearer and more understandable when presented in straightforward terms. "The Oxford Guide to Plain English" provides authoritative guidance on how to write plain English using easy-to-follow guidelines which cover straightforward language, sentence length, active and passive verbs, punctuation, grammar, planning, and good organization. This handy guide will be invaluable to writers of all levels. It provides essential guidelines that will allow readers to develop their writing style, grammar, and punctuation. The book also offers help in understanding official jargon and legalese giving the plain English alternatives. This guide gives hundreds of real examples and shows 'before and after' versions of texts of different kinds which will help readers to look critically at their own writing. It is helpfully organized into 21 short chapters, each covering a different aspect of writing. Clearly laid out, and easy to use, the "Oxford Guide to Plain English" is the best guide to writing clear and helpful documents.

The New Oxford Style Manual brings together two essential reference works in a single volume: New Hart's Rules and the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. New Hart's Rules, Oxford's definitive guide to style, consists of 20 chapters that provide authoritative and expert advice on how to prepare copy for publication. Topics covered include how to use italic, roman, and other type treatments, numbers and dates, law and legal references, illustrations, notes and references, and bibliographies. The guidelines are complemented by the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors, which features 25,000 alphabetically arranged entries giving authoritative advice on those words and names which raise questions time and time again because of spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, or cultural and historical context. Entries give full coverage of recommended spellings, variant forms, confusable words, hyphenation, capitalization, foreign and specialist terms, proper names, and abbreviations. The dictionary also includes superb appendices for quick reference including proofreading marks, countries and currencies, and alphabets. Combining these two works and drawing on the unrivalled research and expertise of the Oxford Dictionaries department, New Oxford Style Manual is an essential part of every editor's and writer's toolkit.

This is an innovative approach to writing style and form for professional writers, college students and professors, K-12 teachers, and self-taught writers.

An introduction to the fundamentals of creative writing, both fiction and nonfiction, takes aspiring writers through each stage of the creative process, from initial idea to final manuscript, accompanied by examples of short fiction and essays.

ADIOS, STRUNK AND WHITE is subtitled "A Handbook for the New Academic Essay," but the ideas for creating original writing, style and alternative organizational forms apply to all writing tasks: scientific and creative non-fiction; business and personal. The STYLE section offers a veritable linguistic palette for shaping and modulating written tone, underscoring content with "Flow" (ways for fearlessly generating long, grammatical sentences which capture complex realities), "Pause" (ways for dramatically creating emphasis and punch), "Fusion" (ways for crafting non-flowery, economical metaphors to compress and edit), and "Opt" (ways for altering perception by using first, second, and third person point of view). The strategies in the FORM section are presented by problem-solution arrangement, the Hoffmans first identifying typical hurdles writers face when narrating, defining, arguing and intensifying: the difficulty of capturing a fleeting reality, the challenge of breaking through a reader’s cliché ideas, the need to deconstruct a self righteous position. Once the problem is explicated, the authors offer practical, original solutions: how to suspend time, how to bust clichés, how to mock, and finally how to "punch up" any piece of writing, with "Nettings," "Echoings," and "Masqueradings." At the end of the Form section, the Hoffmans offer four suggestions for transitioning between disparate strategies. The last section, aptly titled HEADWORK, offers a streamlined approach to critical thinking which includes a chapter on distinguishing between deductive and inductive reasoning, another chapter covering the pitfalls of critical analysis (i.e. logical fallacies and euphemism), the third section finally ending with swift counsel about conducting pertinent research—sound advice for graduate students, historians, and scientists. All sections cull from such diverse sources as THE NEW YORKER, KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, bird handbooks, and satiric posters, and include writers as varied as Aristotle and David Foster Wallace—the breadth of examples engaging both the rogue student and serious scholar. Writing concepts are presented in a conversational tone with helpful terminology that makes the most complicated principles of writing accessible. The book is full of startling, yet practical advice.

A handy, informative overview of the fundamentals of English-language grammar and usage covers everything from parts of speech, sentence structure, and verb tense to punctuation, spelling, abbreviations, capitalization, and many other essential topics. Original.

Provides information on writing style, including word choice, sentence construction, and the use of figurative language, along with lessons on writing techniques for letters, resumes, essays, and reports.

This handbook of writing techniques covers the basics of grammar and provides advice on specific types of writing, including letters, essays, articles, reports, and minutes.

A combination dictionary and style guide offers more than sixty thousand dictionary entries accompanied by thorough guidance on grammar, usage, and punctuation, as well as an up-to-date geographical appendix, listings of weights and measures,A combination dictionary and style guide offers more than sixty thousand dictionary entries accompanied by thorough guidance on grammar, usage, and punctuation, as well as an up-to-date geographical appendix, listings of weights and measures, illustrations, and other helpful features. Original. illustrations, and other helpful features. Original.

From Rosalie Maggio, author of the bestselling How to Say It, comes a quick guide to composing perfect prose. This ideal writer’s companion provides succinct solutions to the most common writing problems, and gives you all the information you need to write powerful and persuasive prose.   The How to Say It Style Guide begins with a brief introduction to the eighteen rules every writer must know. It moves quickly on to an A-to-Z guide that offers clear, easy-to-find answers to all your writing questions, and concludes with a section on troublesome words and phrases. Key words throughout direct you to the right entry, and a helpful index makes finding answers easy.   Illustrated with quotes from literature, the How to Say It Style Guide is fun to browse and an indispensable reference that will make your business and personal writing the best it can be.

An ultimate desk reference for honing and enhancing grammar and style skills instructs readers in the fundamentals of good writing, from common grammatical issues to developing a writing style; furnishes guidelines for effective writing; features valuable lists of the most commonly used and misspelled words; and covers e-mail etiquette, figures of speech, and much more. Original.

This popular desktop guide to punctuation, grammar, and style was first published two decades ago. Now in its third revision, Write Right! reflects how the language has changed since the book first appeared. The updated information in this new version makes it even more useful as a handy guide. Write Right! simplifies the most important points of written English. The quotations from literature and politics that demonstrate proper usage add an element of fun to the book's practical advice. Lists of frequently misspelled and misused words help the writer avoid embarrassing mistakes. Write Right! belongs at your side - at work, in the home, or at school.

The copy chief for the Washington Post business desk offers an entertaining but practical guide to the ins and outs of modern language usage, discussing the complexities of modern style, grammar, punctuation, and trendy words, foreign terms, and web speak. Original.

Combines a dictionary, an atlas, and a survey of punctuation and grammar with lists of American and Canadian leaders, states and provinces, and historical highlights, and a math review.