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The'Elements'of'Style'
how important is style in writing
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The Importance of Style
If there’s one thing that this class has taught me, it’s that one of the single most important aspect to consider in writing, is that of the style. Style can be defined many ways, whether it be an analysis of oneÂ’s writing proficiency and technical accuracy, or the writerÂ’s voice, and how they bring across their message to the readers. Without style, all writing becomes at least one of two things: a boring, dragging piece whose clipped pace turns the reader totally off, or it becomes so poorly written that the question of the author’s intelligence comes into play while reading the piece.
While I could easily say simply that style is the most important aspect of writing, that would be far too much of an oversimplification. There are many individual pieces that make style what it is. In fact, whole books have been written solely on that subject, such as "Style Toward Clarity and Grace" by Joseph M. Williams, or "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White. These texts try to pin down exactly what are the key points that make a successful style, as opposed to one not as well crafted, just as the purpose of this essay is.
The first thing I think of when I try to define good styles of writing is a knack for grammar and vocabulary. These are the most important aspects of writing when it comes to getting oneÂ’s message across. Without proper grammar, confusion and misinterpretation reign supreme. Strunk and White feature an entire chapter exclusively to the practice of using the correct grammar (Strunk and White chapter 4). Williams, meanwhile feels that the rules are not necessary to dwell on ever, and breaks rules down into three ways: rules that "No native speaker of English has to think about", rules that educated writers only think about "when they see or hear them violated" and finally, rules that are apparently there for grammarians to find faults in writing, and that educated writers generally accept that these rules can be ignored (Williams 176).
If nothing else, this dichotomy in policies from several sources is totally indicative of the very nature of writing itself. Writing has existed for thousands of years, and it seems like at least once a generation, the general acceptance of rules, and even which rules are applicable change dramatically.
The Americans decided to wait for the British to be only 150 feet away when that came around a lot of the British were dead and wounded. But in 1775, George Washington came along and decided he was taking charge because he thought he knew what he could do to make everything better. During the Month of March, George decided to go put the cannon on top of a big hill higher so they can see Boston and aim it right at it, Washington even though they won he knew that this Battle still wasn’t over.
I am more knowledgeable about invention, arrangement, style, and delivery, all in which create a masterful piece of text. A few examples, I have learned to organize and construct my thoughts and ideas clearer. I have been taught to use stronger transitions and focus more on the delivery and content of the body element of essays. Further, the instructions and advice I have received throughout this term have influenced my understanding of the purpose of writing. My outlook on writing has been modified by shifting my perception of writing from, writing to prove I am a good writer by perceiving it as using “fluffy” or BIG words to impress my audience. I grew to understanding that good writing’s purpose is to engage the writer by mind-striking ideas and arguments, which therefore will prove and title me as a “good writer”.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, rebellion and music were synonymous. The 1950’s brought widespread attention to a new kind of music coined as “Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Because parents deemed the music as sinful, the youth used it to establish an identity for themselvess. In the 1960’s, the rebellion was given a collective charge when young adults voiced displeasure over the country’s entrance into the Vietnam War and the use of nuclear weapons. One group within this movement was coined the “hippies”. This paper will discuss the beliefs of the hippies of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, California and illustrate how the hippie “counterculture” transformed into an evolution of music, in the making of protest songs and the new “psychedelic” sound. It will elaborate on the musicians who found fame in responding to the call by this movement.
While there are people who love to read and write, there are others that do not. When a student is required to read a book for a class and that student does not enjoy reading, there are very few things they would rather do less. And when that book’s topic is about learning how to write that is the worst of it. When I was assigned to read Writing with Style by John R. Trimble, my immediate thought was that this book and assignment was going to be a struggle to get through. To my pleasant surprise, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Writing with Style provides the reader with a wide range of writing tips while being written in a fun, conversational style. This book provides easy to find writing tools that can be understood by people of varying
Marsh, Julia. "Barneys Busted Student for ‘shopping While black’." New York Post Barneys Busted Student for Shopping Whileblack Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Works Cited Page Affirmative Action: Part 1 Enforcing Equality, " An Affirmative Action Primer", The Virginia Pilot. 1995. Pilot Online. 12, September 1998. Heilman, Madeline. Study: Affirmative Action Hires Abilities Doubted @. Money Magazine, Aug. 31, 1992, 3B. Kahlenberg, Richard D. The Remedy. New York; BasicBooks, 1996. M., Marsha. "Untitled". Tidewater Community College. November, 1998. Roberts, Paul Craig., and Lawrence M. Stratton. The New Color Line. Washington, DC; Regnery Publishing, 1995.
Currently, the main question concerning affirmative action is whether or not it is the best way to combat inequality. Also: What groups should or should not have affirmative action? When will the problem be “solved” and affirmative action no longer necessary? While the United States is divided between 49% of citizens supporting affirmative action programs and 43% opposing them, many Americans have a difficult time even defining what affirmative action is (Gallup 2003). The term ‘affirmative action’ includes laws, policies, and programs designed to reduce or eliminate inequality (Hudson). Inequality is also a difficult term to define, but the fact that significantly fewer women and minorities enjoy high paying jobs, attend prestigious universities, and reside in wealthy neighborhoods m...
According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary, the definition of style is “a characteristic manner of expression”(612). Usually words such as personal, individual, and unique also come to mind when we think of writing style. I have always associated writing style with belonging uniquely to one individual, meaning that everyone had his or her own style. After reading, “Style Toward Clarity and Grace” by Joseph Williams and “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk and E.B. White, I realized that style is not as unique as I thought. In fact, as I stated in my blog space, “writing has certain rules and elements that must be incorporated in to our writing in order to make our points clear to those we want to read it. Since these elements and rules are common to all writing, then style and good writing bring forth new meanings.”
From these books on style, I’ve learned that the content of the writing is not as important as the presentation of it. If a piece of writing is clear, concise, understandable, and formatted well, a reader will be affected by it. Of course the content is important as well, but the point is no reader will want to give a piece of writing the time of day unless they are attracted to it in the first place. If they are attracted, they will be affected. Style is personal and unique, but style can also follow guidelines which will in turn help a
One must remember that writing style is not something that just happens, but rather something that is developed. With the help of guides like Elements of Style, or books like Style Toward Clarity and Grace, one can begin to develop one.
The theme of this essay outlines two things. One, the key elements of Bretton woods system and second, the characterisation of Bretton woods system by Ruggie as ‘embedded liberalism’, and how far he succeeds in it. The Bretton woods system is widely referred to the international monetary regime, which prevailed from the end of the World War 2 until the early 1970s. After the end of the World War 2, the need of international monetary framework to boost trade and economic; growth and stability, was important. Taking its name from the site of the 1944 conference, attended by all forty-four allied nations; the Bretton Woods system consisted of four key elements. First, to make a system in which each member nation has to fix or peg his currency exchange rate against the gold or U.S. dollar, as the key currency. Secondly, the free exchange of currencies between countries at the established and fixed exchange rate; plus or minus a one-percent margin. Thirdly, to create an institutional forum, so-called International Monetary Fund (IMF), for the international co-operation on money matters: to set up, stabilize, and watch over exchange rates. Fourth, to remove all the existing exchange controls limiting (protectionism) policies by the members, on the use of its currency for international trade. In practice the first scheme, as well as its later development and final demise, were directly dependent on the preferences and policies of its most powerful member, the United States. According to John Gerard Ruggie, 1982, this Bretton woods system of monetary co-operation represented the type of liberalism which characterise “domestic social economic stability along with a liberal trading order.” He referred this system as ‘embed...
The world is full of people, some of which are suffering every day from pain. Even with the advancements that have been made with medicine, it’s not enough to cure many diseases or to heal a person’s pain. Euthanasia is commonly referred to as a “mercy killing”. It is the intentional act of putting a person to death quietly and painlessly who has an incurable or painful disease, it is intended to be an act of mercy. According to (ANA, 2013), Euthanasia is the act of putting to death someone suffering from a painful and prolonged illness or injury.
The focus of this paper is on the history of affirmative action and its relevance to our society. Affirmative action focuses on the importance of equality and equal opportunity among all people in terms of education and employment. In coordination with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunities Act of 1972, the affirmative action policy was submitted by federal agencies. Is it not true that ethnic minorities do not have the same opportunities in life as whites, and that women should be entitled to the same opportunities as men? This act is only a means to help the less advantaged members of our society. In this case the less advantage would be those of color and women (www.infoplease.com).
The Elements of Style and Style are interesting because separately, they tell two different versions to the same story. In Strunk and White’s book, a mere ninety-five pages of instruction, tell you in brief and curt words the rules for writing clearly. This books intention was to be short, a sort of handbook for quick reference. In its introduction E.B White writes, “It was Will Strunk’s parvoum opus, his attempt to cut the vast tangle of English rhetoric down to size and write its rules and principles on the head of a pin” (Strunk and White xiii). This intention seems innocent but it is my belief that it leaves the reader wondering, without precise reason in mind what clear writing is.
Dr. Shook’s critiques directed me to revise for the lack of transitional phrases between main ideas within my essay, as well as my tendency to compose run-on sentences. Accordingly, I inserted transitions that connected the major points that my essay touched upon. In order to do so, I used phrases such as “furthermore” in order to create a better flow without compromising the important ideas that were essential in regards to properly communicating the context to my audience. By commencing the process of revising my first essay, I developed the understanding that one of my shortcomings as a writer at the beginning of the semester included compiling numerous ideas into one sentence, consequently making it too “heavy.” By taking corrective action, I separated sentences that surpassed three lines into two entities. I found that Informal Assignment 10: Writing with Clear Style, assisted in improving my understanding of how my style of writing assists in communicating to my audience. Initially, I failed to realize that clear communication is of the utmost importance in regards to becoming an astute college writer. I entered English 101 focusing on incorporating words with over three syllables to intelligently convey my argument instead of focusing on how clearly my argument will be received by my