Writing with Style Conversations on the Art of Writing

A concise, witty, practical book on style that is as entertaining as it is genuinely instructive.

Writing with Style is storehouse of practical writing tips—written in a lively, conversational style. This text provides insight into: how to generate interesting ideas and get them down on paper; how to write a critical analysis; how to write a crisp opener; how to invigorate a dull style; how to punctuate with confidence; how to handle various conventions—and much more.

This textbook describes a remarkably effective method for generating ideas and converting them into coherent prose. It helps students overcome difficulty with generating ideas and developing these ideas in their writing. It also specifies the all-important fundamentals of good writing–Then explains with wit and common sense precisely why these elements are so fundamental.

This bestselling brief text is for anyone who needs tips to improve writing.

C ontents

A Word About These “Conversations”

Preface to the Third Edition

Acknowledgments

Fundamentals

Chapter 1: Thinking Well

Chapter 2: Getting Launched

Chapter 3: Openers

Chapter 4: Middles

Chapter 5: Closers

Chapter 6: Diction

Chapter 7: Readability

Chapter 8: Superstitions

Chapter 9: Critical Analysis: Jousting with Mencken

Chapter 10:  Dramatizing Your Ideas

Chapter 11: Revising

Chapter 12: Proofreading

    Odds and Ends

Chapter 13: Punctuation

    Semicolons 

    Commas 

    Parentheses 

    Dashes 

    Colons 

    Hyphens 

    Exclamation points 

Chapter 14: Quoting 

    Punctuation introducing quotations

    Punctuation at the end of quotations 

    Miscellaneous small points 

    Indented quotations 

    Orphan quotes 

    Dialogue

    Punctuating run-on quotations of poetry 

    References for quotations 

    Punctuating parenthetical references 

    Ellipses 

    Editorial insertions (square brackets)

Chapter 15: Abbreviations

Chapter 16: Tips on Usage 

Chapter 17: Epilogue 

Sources 

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