4 ms·
Passive vs active voice is certainly useful, but it's only one of many, many bits of writing craft. If you want a whole lot more of those, I suggest Strunk & W
by swombat 17y ago
Passive vs active voice is certainly useful, but it's only one of many, many bits of writing craft.
If you want a whole lot more of those, I suggest Strunk & White: http://www.bartleby.com/141/ http://www.bartleby.com/141/
- talison 17y ago"On Writing Well" by Zinsser is also worthwhile: http://bit.ly/2wH4VC http://bit.ly/2wH4VC (link to Google Books)
- crux_ 17y agoGood as well: Politics & The English Language. (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm)
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- Perceval 17y agoAs someone mired in academia, I absolutely love that piece by Orwell. It's a good reminder that the writing I'm surrounded by isn't the type of writing I should emulate. I keep a folder in my bookmarks of writing tips that I think are insightful. Here are a few: * Elmore Leonard: http://www.kabedford.com/archives/000013.html http://www.kabedford.com/archives/000013.html * Kurt Vonnegut: http://www.peterstekel.com/PDF-HTML/Kurt%20Vonnegut%20advice%20to%20writers.htm http://www.peterstekel.com/PDF-HTML/Kurt%20Vonnegut%20advice... * E.A. Poe: http://www.eapoe.org/works/ESSAYS/PHILCOMP.HTM http://www.eapoe.org/works/ESSAYS/PHILCOMP.HTM
- crux_ 17y agoDare I point out the staleness of imagery in your first sentence ("mired in academia") or the passive phasing of your second? ;) Seriously, though: good bookmarks.
- RyanMcGreal 17y agoThe problem with The Elements of Style is that White flagrantly, persistently and delightfully violates his own rules. Given that his writing is unfailingly charming and enjoyable to read, I have to wonder about value of those rules.
- pchickey 17y agoFollowing White's rules will do a good deal for those whose writing is not yet enjoyable to read.
- req2 17y agoWhite's rules improve unenjoyable prose.
- electromagnetic 17y agoThe Elements of Style (which I personally dislike) isn't written for professional writers, it's written for non-professionals. In today's culture people are barely capable of writing a sentence without losing half the vowels along the way, and god forbid you're American because you already lost half your U's before you were even born. Forget about adequate grammar, or even half-decent spelling. White is a professional writers, and with everything there's one key thing to being talented and that's knowing when to break the rules. Breaking the rules when you know what you're doing can be amazing and produce awe-inspiring works, however breaking the rules because you're too ignorant to know they even exist certainly doesn't make you amazing and the only awe you'll inspire is stupidity. The rules are very valuable, but any half-decent writer has already figured out the rules merely by reading.
- jacquesm 17y ago> and god forbid you're American because you already lost half your U's before you were even born. My spell checker thinks that every time I write colour, endeavour, or glamour that I've made some grave error. I really can't stand that, it doesn't allow me to change the preferences to English (which I was taught in school) or American English. Btw, any piece about spelling contains at least one spelling error, yours is no exception ;)
- req2 17y agoStrunk & White devote a lot of time to misrepresenting grammar and presenting rules that don't mean much. Both of these distract an author from writing with irrelevant questions of passive voices and adjectives. Pullum points out how silly most of the book is in this article: http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497/ http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/2549... A better respected book that wastes less time is Joseph William's Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. A short review, with some excerpts: http://econ161.berkeley.edu/Econ_Articles/Reviews/williams.html http://econ161.berkeley.edu/Econ_Articles/Reviews/williams.h...