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Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Prompt #5
After reading “Style towards Clarity and Grace” and “The Elements of Style,” it is still very difficult to decide what style is. Our class discussions about these books helped me to get an idea of what I believe style to be. For each of these books, style would be what a writer could do while following all the advice of the author. It seems to be about knowing when to follow the rules and when to bread them. If we all followed every rule in these books, our writing would be very boring and we wouldn’t have our own style. Style is not totally personal though. When people write, they are using all of their past experiences. People can be affected by the books they’ve read (literature and advice), advice from teachers and other readers, and the style of language they speak.
Each of the advice books we find can be very different. There’s no way anyone can follow all of this advice. These books are written for different people and for different purposes. Strunk and White’s book seems to be written for Ivy League men to make them write good college papers. Their advice seems to be easy to follow, but still lacking something. If someone wanted to follow their rules on writing, they would have to choose well and understand what they are doing. A problem with this book is that it’s so easy to use. Now, many people find this to be a good thing. At first, when I compared this guide to Williams,’ I thought I would prefer using it. I thought that I could use it as a reference book and only look up specific advice that I was already having trouble with. I wouldn’t need to read the whole book, but just keep it on hand for when I am in need.
Williams book is much different than this. His goal in writing this guide seems to be for a more devoted writer. To understand Williams’ book, you need to read at least whole chapter, but most likely, the entire guide. To me, this seems difficult. Why would I read the whole thing when I can become a better writer from just reading a page at a time in Strunk and White’s book? I didn’t want to read Williams’ book. And I guess that’s part of my point. Williams’ book only seems to work for the writers who actually want to improve their writing. After reading “Towards Clarity and Grace,” I began to understand much better this type of style.
Williams book makes people think about their writing. Williams’ was able to see that it is much easier to understand what you should do rather than what you shouldn’t do. This seems to help a lot of writers. A Strunk and White reader is not going to have the same experience. Many people who talk about “The Elements of Style” in their blogs list off the rules that stood out to them but didn’t have much else to say about it. This book is not as thought provoking for many people. While I do find Strunk and White’s book useful for quick reference, I don’t believe many readers are actually going to change their writing style, or have an idea of what style is for that matter. College students and people who write in their profession will learn much more from “Style Toward Clarity and Grace” because Williams explains why you should follow his rules and makes you think about your own writing. It’s not going to be a book that changes our writing styles, but we must consciously modify the way we write.
After reading “Style towards Clarity and Grace” and “The Elements of Style,” it is still very difficult to decide what style is. Our class discussions about these books helped me to get an idea of what I believe style to be. For each of these books, style would be what a writer could do while following all the advice of the author. It seems to be about knowing when to follow the rules and when to bread them. If we all followed every rule in these books, our writing would be very boring and we wouldn’t have our own style. Style is not totally personal though. When people write, they are using all of their past experiences. People can be affected by the books they’ve read (literature and advice), advice from teachers and other readers, and the style of language they speak.
Each of the advice books we find can be very different. There’s no way anyone can follow all of this advice. These books are written for different people and for different purposes. Strunk and White’s book seems to be written for Ivy League men to make them write good college papers. Their advice seems to be easy to follow, but still lacking something. If someone wanted to follow their rules on writing, they would have to choose well and understand what they are doing. A problem with this book is that it’s so easy to use. Now, many people find this to be a good thing. At first, when I compared this guide to Williams,’ I thought I would prefer using it. I thought that I could use it as a reference book and only look up specific advice that I was already having trouble with. I wouldn’t need to read the whole book, but just keep it on hand for when I am in need.
Williams book is much different than this. His goal in writing this guide seems to be for a more devoted writer. To understand Williams’ book, you need to read at least whole chapter, but most likely, the entire guide. To me, this seems difficult. Why would I read the whole thing when I can become a better writer from just reading a page at a time in Strunk and White’s book? I didn’t want to read Williams’ book. And I guess that’s part of my point. Williams’ book only seems to work for the writers who actually want to improve their writing. After reading “Towards Clarity and Grace,” I began to understand much better this type of style.
Williams book makes people think about their writing. Williams’ was able to see that it is much easier to understand what you should do rather than what you shouldn’t do. This seems to help a lot of writers. A Strunk and White reader is not going to have the same experience. Many people who talk about “The Elements of Style” in their blogs list off the rules that stood out to them but didn’t have much else to say about it. This book is not as thought provoking for many people. While I do find Strunk and White’s book useful for quick reference, I don’t believe many readers are actually going to change their writing style, or have an idea of what style is for that matter. College students and people who write in their profession will learn much more from “Style Toward Clarity and Grace” because Williams explains why you should follow his rules and makes you think about your own writing. It’s not going to be a book that changes our writing styles, but we must consciously modify the way we write.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Prompt #4
Michelle McGahey had a great response posted on her blog to what she thought of Williams’ book. She wrote:
“As a write, I consistently write long sentences. One thing I overlooked as a long-sentence writer is that the further the subject gets from the verb the more difficult it becomes to follow the meaning of the sentence. While I have been thinking that longer is better, elaborating on almost every point I make, I habitually cluttered my writing. It is my belief that if experienced writers can make these assumptions than students will be sure to full into these traps. After reading these style manuals I find myself more conscientious of my writing process.” Michelle’s blog
This shows the changes Michelle was making when it came to her writing. It’s important to see that Michelle’s changes have been well thought out. This is very different from a reader of Strunk and White because their book is a simple reference book of rules. Williams’ book is not as easy to use, but I believe will make the most changes in someone’s writing. Michelle was able to see why long sentences are not always better. It was easily pointed out that in run-on sentences, the verb gets further and further away from the subject, making it harder to see what the writer is saying. This is very important because in order for someone to follow a rule, they have to know why they should do it. This seems like common sense, but many people don’t explain the reason for their rules. Michelle was then able to apply the rule to her own writing. As a final product, she is now more aware of these ideas and consciously changes them in her writing.
Jessica Hesselgrave wrote:
“Williams’ book wasn’t as helpful on the points that I discussed in my last blog entry when I reviewed Strunk and White. Williams’ book was more difficult to read because of its obscure examples and confusing charts, so I didn’t exactly find many parts easy to understand or follow. In my entry on Strunk and White, I discussed several parts of the book that I found enlightening, and a couple that I found unhelpful. The parts I liked in Strunk and White were how they talked about placing words that relate together in sentences. I don’t recall Williams saying anything different about it in his book. Another point I talked about in Strunk and White was how they gave a simple list of words and phrases that were not properly used. Nothing in Williams’ book was ever laid out simply like in Strunk and White.” Jessica’s blog
Jessica found that Williams’ book was not as helpful as Strunk and White’s. Again I disagree with this. I still believe that if anyone reads “Style toward Clarity and Grace,” and thinks about their own writing will benefit more than from Strunk and White. It is hard to get much from Williams’ book if you don’t think about it though. This is why I was glad to see Michelle’s thought process prove this point.
Michelle McGahey had a great response posted on her blog to what she thought of Williams’ book. She wrote:
“As a write, I consistently write long sentences. One thing I overlooked as a long-sentence writer is that the further the subject gets from the verb the more difficult it becomes to follow the meaning of the sentence. While I have been thinking that longer is better, elaborating on almost every point I make, I habitually cluttered my writing. It is my belief that if experienced writers can make these assumptions than students will be sure to full into these traps. After reading these style manuals I find myself more conscientious of my writing process.” Michelle’s blog
This shows the changes Michelle was making when it came to her writing. It’s important to see that Michelle’s changes have been well thought out. This is very different from a reader of Strunk and White because their book is a simple reference book of rules. Williams’ book is not as easy to use, but I believe will make the most changes in someone’s writing. Michelle was able to see why long sentences are not always better. It was easily pointed out that in run-on sentences, the verb gets further and further away from the subject, making it harder to see what the writer is saying. This is very important because in order for someone to follow a rule, they have to know why they should do it. This seems like common sense, but many people don’t explain the reason for their rules. Michelle was then able to apply the rule to her own writing. As a final product, she is now more aware of these ideas and consciously changes them in her writing.
Jessica Hesselgrave wrote:
“Williams’ book wasn’t as helpful on the points that I discussed in my last blog entry when I reviewed Strunk and White. Williams’ book was more difficult to read because of its obscure examples and confusing charts, so I didn’t exactly find many parts easy to understand or follow. In my entry on Strunk and White, I discussed several parts of the book that I found enlightening, and a couple that I found unhelpful. The parts I liked in Strunk and White were how they talked about placing words that relate together in sentences. I don’t recall Williams saying anything different about it in his book. Another point I talked about in Strunk and White was how they gave a simple list of words and phrases that were not properly used. Nothing in Williams’ book was ever laid out simply like in Strunk and White.” Jessica’s blog
Jessica found that Williams’ book was not as helpful as Strunk and White’s. Again I disagree with this. I still believe that if anyone reads “Style toward Clarity and Grace,” and thinks about their own writing will benefit more than from Strunk and White. It is hard to get much from Williams’ book if you don’t think about it though. This is why I was glad to see Michelle’s thought process prove this point.
Prompt #2
In Eastern Michigan University’s undergraduate catalog, there are a lot of statements written poorly. They could be written in a way for everyone to understand better.
For example:
“EMU’s focal point is Southeastern Michigan – an area surrounded by small cities and towns of which its hometown, Ypsilanti, with 25,000 people, is one. Thirty miles to the east is Detroit, industrial and business hub of the Great Lakes; and an equal distance to the south is Toledo, northernmost city on the Ohio border and a new area of student growth.”
Notice how long just two sentences are. There are way to many commas, semicolons, and hyphens. The more concise we can get the sentences, the more people will be able to understand them.
Here is the way I would write it for more people to understand:
“EMU is located in the Southeast Michigan city of Ypsilanti, with a population of 25,0000 people. Conveniently located near large cities, Detroit and Toledo are thirty miles in opposite directions and Ann Arbor is right down the street.”
My goal was to get my sentences shorter and with less punctuation. The sentences from the catalog fit a lot of information into a small area, but were way too confusing. I did take out some information because I didn’t think all of it was necessary. Instead, I included the necessary information and made it clearer. On page 53 of Williams’ “Style toward Clarity and Grace,” he describes keeping topics visible. The way the catalog described EMU didn’t have a clear topic. If I were a student looking into Eastern and read about Ypsilanti in the catalog, I would probably laugh. I would wonder if the same person who was going to teach me writing, wrote in the catalog. By getting rid of unnecessary words and punctuation, I was able to show what the topic actually was.
In Eastern Michigan University’s undergraduate catalog, there are a lot of statements written poorly. They could be written in a way for everyone to understand better.
For example:
“EMU’s focal point is Southeastern Michigan – an area surrounded by small cities and towns of which its hometown, Ypsilanti, with 25,000 people, is one. Thirty miles to the east is Detroit, industrial and business hub of the Great Lakes; and an equal distance to the south is Toledo, northernmost city on the Ohio border and a new area of student growth.”
Notice how long just two sentences are. There are way to many commas, semicolons, and hyphens. The more concise we can get the sentences, the more people will be able to understand them.
Here is the way I would write it for more people to understand:
“EMU is located in the Southeast Michigan city of Ypsilanti, with a population of 25,0000 people. Conveniently located near large cities, Detroit and Toledo are thirty miles in opposite directions and Ann Arbor is right down the street.”
My goal was to get my sentences shorter and with less punctuation. The sentences from the catalog fit a lot of information into a small area, but were way too confusing. I did take out some information because I didn’t think all of it was necessary. Instead, I included the necessary information and made it clearer. On page 53 of Williams’ “Style toward Clarity and Grace,” he describes keeping topics visible. The way the catalog described EMU didn’t have a clear topic. If I were a student looking into Eastern and read about Ypsilanti in the catalog, I would probably laugh. I would wonder if the same person who was going to teach me writing, wrote in the catalog. By getting rid of unnecessary words and punctuation, I was able to show what the topic actually was.
Monday, March 08, 2004
PROMPT #3
I chose to focus on the use of negatives when I wrote about Strunk and White. To find what Williams thought about using negatives was very simple. I turned to the index and looked up “negatives.” And right there from pages 130 – 133, was “Not the Negative.” First, I noticed that Williams took three pages to explain using positives and negatives, while Strunk and White took a page and a half. I guess this is expected though. Williams seems to describe in more detail than Strunk and White. But the question is, did I understand Williams’ description better? At first I think I definitely like Williams’ description better. He explains the difference between using a negative and an affirmative sentence. He tells us that an affirmative statement is more concise and direct. He even points out how his own statements are affirmative. This is something Strunk and White fail to do. As I said, after telling us to write in the positive, nine out of twelve of their rules on the pages to follow began with “don’t.”
Williams then shows us how to translate negatives into affirmatives to understand them better. As a reader, we had the chance to read his ideas in both a positive and a negative form. I think this is a very good for the reader to understand. Instead of short sentences to compare, we were able to compare paragraphs of positive and negative sentences. I think this is important because as I said in my first prompt, many people speak in negative terms and never even realize it (or stay oblivious to it). By Williams showing us whole paragraphs of his rules for writing, it helps us to see how unclear it would be for us to understand if we were to write negatively. Strunk focuses on the weakness shown in negative sentences, while Williams focuses on the lack of clarity in negative sentences. Williams’ point was that it is much easier to understand what you should do rather than what you shouldn’t do.
For this reason, I think Williams’ description of using positives is better. This way of describing it seems to be more effective because I would choose to follow a rule to make sure my readers understand my ideas. But if I was supposed to follow this rule so that I didn’t sound so weak, I would be less likely to do it. I think Williams’ description will convince more people to write positive sentences, which seems to be the point.
Even though I say Williams’ description is better, there are still some confusing parts to it. At first, his description makes so much sense. It was clear and concise. Then he tells us that these rules do not apply in all cases, which I think is important to acknowledge. But, this is where it always gets confusing. Now I think it’s necessary to explain why the rules don’t always apply, but this description seems to be so much more confusing.
Williams first tells us that it is okay to speak if we are trying to deny someone else’s truth. His next idea is, “When you combine negatives with passives, nominalizations, and compounds in sentences that are already a bit complex, your writing can become opaque.” When I read this sentence, I thought, “What?” I really did not know what he was saying. He gave two examples that did seem hard to understand, but that didn’t make the rule any easier to understand. In some ways, the entire next page is unnecessary to me. It’s so hard for me to understand that I can’t really use it to help my writing. I can appreciate the fact that Williams included it because I know that there will be people who can understand it and learn from what he wrote.
Overall, I think Williams’ ideas on writing positively are more beneficial to the reader.
I chose to focus on the use of negatives when I wrote about Strunk and White. To find what Williams thought about using negatives was very simple. I turned to the index and looked up “negatives.” And right there from pages 130 – 133, was “Not the Negative.” First, I noticed that Williams took three pages to explain using positives and negatives, while Strunk and White took a page and a half. I guess this is expected though. Williams seems to describe in more detail than Strunk and White. But the question is, did I understand Williams’ description better? At first I think I definitely like Williams’ description better. He explains the difference between using a negative and an affirmative sentence. He tells us that an affirmative statement is more concise and direct. He even points out how his own statements are affirmative. This is something Strunk and White fail to do. As I said, after telling us to write in the positive, nine out of twelve of their rules on the pages to follow began with “don’t.”
Williams then shows us how to translate negatives into affirmatives to understand them better. As a reader, we had the chance to read his ideas in both a positive and a negative form. I think this is a very good for the reader to understand. Instead of short sentences to compare, we were able to compare paragraphs of positive and negative sentences. I think this is important because as I said in my first prompt, many people speak in negative terms and never even realize it (or stay oblivious to it). By Williams showing us whole paragraphs of his rules for writing, it helps us to see how unclear it would be for us to understand if we were to write negatively. Strunk focuses on the weakness shown in negative sentences, while Williams focuses on the lack of clarity in negative sentences. Williams’ point was that it is much easier to understand what you should do rather than what you shouldn’t do.
For this reason, I think Williams’ description of using positives is better. This way of describing it seems to be more effective because I would choose to follow a rule to make sure my readers understand my ideas. But if I was supposed to follow this rule so that I didn’t sound so weak, I would be less likely to do it. I think Williams’ description will convince more people to write positive sentences, which seems to be the point.
Even though I say Williams’ description is better, there are still some confusing parts to it. At first, his description makes so much sense. It was clear and concise. Then he tells us that these rules do not apply in all cases, which I think is important to acknowledge. But, this is where it always gets confusing. Now I think it’s necessary to explain why the rules don’t always apply, but this description seems to be so much more confusing.
Williams first tells us that it is okay to speak if we are trying to deny someone else’s truth. His next idea is, “When you combine negatives with passives, nominalizations, and compounds in sentences that are already a bit complex, your writing can become opaque.” When I read this sentence, I thought, “What?” I really did not know what he was saying. He gave two examples that did seem hard to understand, but that didn’t make the rule any easier to understand. In some ways, the entire next page is unnecessary to me. It’s so hard for me to understand that I can’t really use it to help my writing. I can appreciate the fact that Williams included it because I know that there will be people who can understand it and learn from what he wrote.
Overall, I think Williams’ ideas on writing positively are more beneficial to the reader.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
I do believe that Strunk and White’s Elements of Style is useful to the average college student. This is because it can be used as a reference book. You don’t even have to read the whole book to use it. You could keep it on your shelf for each time you write an essay. Each time you question what you wrote or are about to write, grab the book and look it up. You should be able to find the conflict you are dealing with and use the rules to fix your writing.
I found the discussion on page 19, about putting statements in positive form, interesting. In the American English language, people tend to speak in negative terms. We tend to say, “He didn’t pay any attention to me,” instead of, “He ignored me.” In this way you state what the subject did as opposed to what he didn’t do. This is important to me because I try to be a positive person and speak in positive terms. I tend not to use the word not. Well, I at least don’t want to use the word not. Meaning, I want to use positive words. This section taught me to think when I am about to use the word no. I need to question, what would describe this better?
Strunk and White tell their readers to speak in positive terms and to avoid the use of the word “not.” In their rules on pages 72-80, they use the word “not” in 9 of the rules. If they are trying to make the rules clear to the readers, why do they use “do not” so much and ignore their own rules.
I found the discussion on page 19, about putting statements in positive form, interesting. In the American English language, people tend to speak in negative terms. We tend to say, “He didn’t pay any attention to me,” instead of, “He ignored me.” In this way you state what the subject did as opposed to what he didn’t do. This is important to me because I try to be a positive person and speak in positive terms. I tend not to use the word not. Well, I at least don’t want to use the word not. Meaning, I want to use positive words. This section taught me to think when I am about to use the word no. I need to question, what would describe this better?
Strunk and White tell their readers to speak in positive terms and to avoid the use of the word “not.” In their rules on pages 72-80, they use the word “not” in 9 of the rules. If they are trying to make the rules clear to the readers, why do they use “do not” so much and ignore their own rules.
Monday, January 12, 2004
Hi. I’m Amanda Koch and I am a senior at Eastern Michigan. All this means is that I have earned a lot of credits, and that I still have a lot of credits left to earn. I am majoring in English and Sociology, minoring in Women's Studies, and am going to become a high school teacher. My plan is to start a women's program at the high schools I teach at (I still can't picture staying in one place for too long). I think it's very important for girls to get the opportunity to learn about the real world in a safe environment and be able to talk freely about their own life experiences amongst other girls. And I do believe guys should be able to have this same type of experience, I just don't know if I'm the right teacher for them.
I am a nanny and a dance teacher, both of which I love. I’m very lucky to be able to spend my time doing things I enjoy and that help others… and get paid for it. You may find me checking my email or talking on my cell phone, but when it comes down to it, I like things to be somewhat simple. You’re even more likely to see me writing (with a pen and paper ~ made from trees) in my journal or to a friend. I love self expression, and one of my favorite forms is hand-writing.
I am a nanny and a dance teacher, both of which I love. I’m very lucky to be able to spend my time doing things I enjoy and that help others… and get paid for it. You may find me checking my email or talking on my cell phone, but when it comes down to it, I like things to be somewhat simple. You’re even more likely to see me writing (with a pen and paper ~ made from trees) in my journal or to a friend. I love self expression, and one of my favorite forms is hand-writing.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Hello.
