Understanding Style: Practical Ways to Improve Your Writing, Third Edition, uses the findings of modern linguistics to explore the relationship between written and spoken voices and to uncover little-known ways to control rhythm and emphasis. With a focus on sound and voice, author Joe Glaser explains and illustrates measurable, non-subjective keys to good writing--an approach that yields practical writing techniques and advice rarely found elsewhere. An excellent choice for courses in advanced composition, this book also covers more standard topics such as economy, diction, coherence, and variety--along with abundant open-ended exercises drawn from business, history, popular science, and other areas.

Table of Contents:
Preface: PART 1. FOUNDATIONS 1. The Sentence as the Foundation of Style Start most sentences with the subject Make your subjects definitely named actors Make your verbs name definite actions Write mostly in independent clauses Keep subjects and verbs close together Keep verbs and complements close together Use single verbs with multiple subjects. Use single subjects with multiple verbs Favour the active voice Choose positive rather than negative constructions Focus each sentence on the ideas expressed by the subject and predicate Mix long and short sentences End sentences with a bang, not a whimper Makeover Your writing Checklist 2. Style and Audience: What's Your Purpose? Who's Your Reader? Always write with a purpose in mind Be alert for key words in assignments Supply your own key words if necessary Always consider your reader Create an imaginary reader Create special readers for special situations Enlist your enemies as readers Your Writing Checklist PART 2. WHAT STYLE IS: GOOD AND BAD WRITING 3. Voices You Want to Listen to: Elements of a Written Voice Voice and the Sound Qualities of Writing Voice and the Writing Situation Grammar and Voice Diction and Voice Avoiding Discriminatory Language A Gallery of Voices Your Writing Checklist 4. Voices that Put You Off: Common Modes of Bad Writing The Professional Professional The Creative Genius The Zombie The Klutz Your Writing Checklist 5. Two Common Problems: Overwriting and Underwriting Eliminating Deadwood How Much Cutting Is Enough? Varieties of Deadwood --Verbal Filler --Authorspeak --Overexplaining A Caution Against Underwriting Makeover 1 Makeover 2 Your Writing Checklist PART 3. ACCURATE, EFFECTIVE WORD CHOICE 6. Finding the Right Words: What's in a Name? A World of Words Other Word Books Types of Diction --Formal and Informal Words --General and Particular Words --Abstract and Concrete Words --Long and Short Words --Learned and Commonplace Words --Connotative and Neutral Words Makeover 1 Makeover 2 Your Writing Checklist 7. Finding Fresh Words: Clichés, Usage, Figurative Language Clichés Beat a Hasty Retreat: A Learning Experience Usage Demons and Cranks Some Notes on Quoting Figurative Language Makeover Your Writing Checklist 8. Naming Definite Actors and Actions Naming Definite Actors --Avoiding Indefinite Actors --The Problem of Nominalizations Naming Definite Actions --Avoiding Weak Verbs: To Be --Other Weak Verbs --Unnecessary Auxiliaries --Unnecessary Passive Verbs Keeping Actors and Actions Together Makeover Your Writing Checklist Part 4. TRADE SECRETS: COHESION, EMPHASIS, RHYTHM, AND VARIETY 9. Cohesion: Making Sentences Connect Maintaining Related Grammatical Subjects Patterns of Old and New Information Reinforcing Cohesion with Transitional Devices Reinforcing Cohesion with Coordinate Structures Reinforcing Cohesion with Subordinate Structures Makeover Your Writing Checklist 10. Assigning Emphasis Nuclear Emphasis Coming to a Good End Nuclear Stress in Lesser Breath Units A Note on Punctuation Patterns of Emphasis Using Grammatical Transformations to Shift Emphasis Emphasis Through Grammatical Bulk Makeover Your Writing Checklist 11. Controlling Rhythm Sentence Rhythms Types of Breath Units Avoiding Overlong Breath Units Using Breath Units to Control Rhythm Using Stress to Control Rhythm Using Long and Short Words to Control Rhythm Makeover Your Writing Checklist 12. Grammatical Variety How Sentences Become Complex Grammatical Variety in Context Varying Sentence Structure with Nominals Varying Sentence Structure with Adjectivals Varying Sentence Structure with Adverbials Varying Sentence Structure with Parallel Construction Grammatical Emphasis Makeover Your Writing Checklist PART 5. WIDER CONSIDERATIONS 13. The Logic Of Persuasion Rogerian Argument Toulmin Logic Your Writing Checklist 14. Making Good Use of Sources and Technology Use appropriate graphics Research everything Important cautions --Evaluate your sources --Treat your sources fairly --Fit Researched Material Neatly into Your Text Your Writing Checklist APPENDICES: Appendix A: A Brief Dictionary of Usage: Appendix B: Alphabetical Guide to Punctuation: Appendix C: Glossary: