... writer&apos ;s job is
assisting readers in following the organization. It can be done
in two ways, which are often used together. One is by
sign-
posts—words,
phrases, sentences (occasionally even a short
paragraph) ... Subject
In most cases a limiting sentence or clause must follow the
announcement of the subject. Few essays (or books, for that
matter) discuss all there is to say; they tr...
... is spoken relatively loudly, an unstressed
one more softly. Stressed syllables are marked by /, unstressed
by x, as in
above.
A metrical run consists of a number of stressed and unstressed
syllables ... by its diversion of purpose and its qualified success,
by its grotesque transitions from sublimation to base necessity and
its pervasive stress towards flight, a comedy. H. c. Wells
These are...
... boat
Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns form the possessive by adding -&apos ;s:
anyone&apos ;s, anybody&apos ;s, someone&apos ;s, everyone&apos ;s, and so on
The predicative possessive forms of the personal pronouns,
however, ... -s should be omitted from the possessive of
names containing several syllables if it would result in an awk-
ward combination of sounds:
Jesus' ministry NOT
Jesus...
... herbs. A
huge man, fat as Silenus, daintily binds bunches for soup, while his
wife quarters cabbages, ties smaller bundles of thyme, parsley,
green onions, small hot peppers and sweet pimentos ... listings without Roget&apos ;s categories.
Besides the various Roget&apos ;s, there are other thesauri on the
market: The Random House Thesaurus (Random House);
Webster&apos ;s Collegiate Thesauru...
... figures of speech. The most frequent and most use-
ful are similes and metaphors. Similes first.
Similes
A simile is a brief comparison, usually introduced by like or
as. The preposition like is used ... found sea-
308
DICTION
Dillard. For instance one philosopher discusses the style of
another like this:
The style is not, as philosophic style should be, so transparent a
medium that one look...
... it.
BETTER: She will show us how to do it.
He becomes self-conscious to the extent that he withdraws into
himself.
BETTER: He becomes so self-conscious that he withdraws into
himself.
Pointlessness
Pointless ... Muir
I
don't mean to suggest that Segal is as gaga as this book [Love
Story]—only
that a part of him is. Pauline
Kael
Pretentiousness
Pretentiousness is using big words to no...
... words but varies it
in the concluding phrase. Intonational rhythm coexists with
syllabic. Thus Tennyson&apos ;s lines also show an almost perfect
alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables:
X ... mission.
Samuel Hopkins Adams
Both of those passages consist chiefly of short, simple sen-
tences. The
first
uses them poorly, the second effectively.
Where does the difference lie? The firs...
... They show the cultural features such as states,
towns, parks, and roads, especially paved roads. They show also
natural features, such as rivers and lakes, and sometimes moun-
tains. As simple ... are
licentious; polish is good; cabbages cost so much; bread is made
of coarse flour.
(3) CAUSE AND EFFECT
I2J
reasons, as in the passage by Professor Stewart. In that case
you must arrange them in...
... in Soviet Russia.
Russell&apos ;s nine sentences correspond to his steps in analyz-
ing his topic:
Sentence Idea
Topic: increasing intellectual complexity
Plan: list several causes
First cause: ... the sentences list a series of rising
expectations common to Americans. In such cases the simi-
larity of pattern does what ideally all sentence structure
should do: the form reinforces the sense....
... papers or busi-
ness letters. Which is not to dismiss such writing as easy.
Being clear and concise is never easy. (To say nothing of being
interesting!) But at least the writing process is structured ... types of sen-
tences, building paragraphs. Style is the result of strategy, the
language that makes the strategy work.
Think of purpose, strategy, and style in terms of increasing
abstractne...