Reviews (7)

Practical Traits
This book offers tons of practical approaches and practice scoring for the 6 Traits of Writing.It is written by a recognized master in the field and has been so helpful.

A Friendly Read
Spandel's book is an authentic, engaging, and encouraging read for those that teach writing, want help infusing writing, or want to enhance their own writing. It is written conversationally and is well supported with numerous examples. I found it visually appealing as a reader and insightful. (Another review didn't like the visuals because it isn't easy to lift examples "as is" for sharing in class. To that angle I agree, but as a reader the layout is very pleasing.) Highly recommended.

Creating Writers Through 6-Trait Writing Assessment and Instruction (4th Ed)
This book gives so many examples of the qualities to look for and teach in writing instruction.I especially like the fact that this edition is more inclusive of secondary ideas and samples.
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Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Composition and exercises    3. Education    4. Elementary    5. English language    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Report writing    8. Rhetoric    9. Study and teaching    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    11. Creative writing guides    12. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Reading    13. Writing skills   

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. English language    3. Grammar    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Report writing    9. Rhetoric    10. English    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    12. Writing skills   

Reviews (28)

The Elements of Style: A Classic with Timeless Advice
Although the original Elements of Style was written in 1919 (or earlier), it still holds true that anyone who wants to learn how to write in a clear and concise manner will benefit from this book. After reading this book you'll know to avoid breaking elementary rules and principles that are made in writing: excessiveuse of adjectives and adverbs, writing in the passive voice, using different tenses in writing, using the improper case of pronouns (example: using "who" when "whom" should be used and vice versa).
A Classic
This book was required for my high school English classes back in the late '60's. As an English professor, I use this book today. Many generations of students have benefited from this book's informal, conversational approach to teaching formal English (that is, excellent English that is precise and concise in form and content). Although I don't personally like the illustrations, this is my favorite edition of the book because the illustrations add a whimsical informality to substantive content.

Pictures + Punctuation= Fabulous Source of Info
The Elements of Style was great before pictures were added, but the color adds even that much more to a great source for grammar and punctuation.Easy to navigate, great examples through sentences and excerpts.Strunk and White have done it right! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English Composition    2. English Grammar    3. English language    4. Reference    5. Report writing    6. Rhetoric    7. Style    8. Writing Skills    9. Reference / Writing Skills   

Reviews (1)

An absolutely delicious anthology...
I purchased this book for a class, but was delighted to discover that I will definitely want to hang onto it afterwards.The translations chosen for the 'Ancient World' portion are, for the most part, delightfully vivid and capture the spirit of the original language.I also like the layout - the margin size is just perfect for taking notes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collections    2. General    3. Literary Collections    4. Literature    5. Literature (General)    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Reference    9. Rhetoric    10. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms   

Reviews (38)

Superb content, poor presentation
I read the Pyramid Principle in 1995 and dutifully trained myself to use it, with a little help from a class with Ms. Minto.
They should pipe this into a hospital room to save on anesthesia
It is VERY slow going, but you *do* get the impression that this is an important skill to have. The tips are good, and the examples are easy to comprehend. I dont think they should wait until you're in business to learn this. They should teach the Principle in highschool!... if you could stay awake long enough to learn it.

You Must Practice What You Read
I purchased this book primarily because it was referenced by several authors of other Mckinsey books that I've read. I was taken aback by the price of the book but I'm of the school of thought that great ideas need not come in large packages. As like many of the other reviewers, I found this book a tough read and had to break it down into smaller bite size readings. What I did that help me tremedously was build a Pyramid chart capturing the SCQ ---Answer using sticky notes. Once built, I was able to easily see the ideas she was presenting and was able to clarify my thinking and writing substantially.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Writing    3. Business/Economics    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Rhetoric    7. Writing Skills   

Reviews (6)

very clear
I am a non native speaker, and even though my grammar is not too bad, my writing style has always been a source of frustration. At work, when comparing the texts I would write with the one of good native writers, I could see that theirs were better, but could not find why.
a gem
I found an used copy of " The Basics of Clarity and Grace" at bookstore. After reading 3/4 of the book I orderedtwo more copies. One copy for my son who is a journalist major and the other for my eldestson who writes good comedy. I liked its size and its no nonesense approach.

Better than Strunk & White, better than Turabian
The longer version of Joseph Williams "Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace" has been justly praised for many years. But as a director of writing programs at NYU, Princeton, and Yale, I never felt right adopting that text: it was too expensive, and more than the average student needed. This "Basics" Style is the perfect solution. All the brilliance of the longer book at 1/3 the price, "Style" perfectly balances explanations of style rules with practical examples. The rules that Strunk and White encourage are good ones, and American prose would be leaner if their precepts were universal. The problem with that book is that the advice is not explained systematically. You can use their suggestions when you face similar cases, but only Williams' text breaks down topics like elegance, coherence, and cohesion in ways that will let you carry the ideas into every text you write. I would not recommend this book for the casual 10th grader; although it's clearly written, its ideas are somewhat advanced. But for professionals, college writers, and any teenager who takes writing seriously, "Style" is an indispensable tool, a book you'll use for the rest of your life. For learning to write good college papers, I also highly recommend his "Craft of Research." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business English    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English language    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Rhetoric    8. Style    9. Technical English    10. Creative writing guides    11. English literature: essays, letters & other non-fiction prose works    12. Language & Linguistics    13. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    14. Literature: History & Criticism    15. Press & journalism   

Reviews (34)

A balanced and informative guide
I found Asking the Right Questions (ARQ) to be a very balanced and thorough approach to critical thinking. I am an electrical engineer by profession... I am well-regarded by my peers as an careful thinker; however, I have found myself frustrated at times when discussing controversial issues with friends... some lines of thought don't ring true, but are nonetheless hard to refute. After reading ARQ, I found that these dilemmas are frequently either the result of not agreeing on the definitions of ambiguous terms (e.g. oppression, sexism, racism) or on some logical fallacy that was used. This has made a quite difference in my ability to discern the issues at hand.
Demolishing the Wrong Arguments
This slim volume is a textbook on "critical thinking," which seems to be the art of argumentative analysis.You read an argument, ask a series of questions, and thereby test the worth of the argument.
One of the best books on argumentation
This is the best book I've read about argumentation so far.The book doesn't waste your time describing the history of argumentation or going through ancient Greek terms as so many other books or courses on the subject do.If you want to improve your argumentation skills in a short time, this is the book to read.It also gives fresh ideas and new angles to more advanced readers.The book contains lots of practice exercises where you can test the skills you've just learned.The chapters about good evidence should be required reading for anyone involved in decision making in organizations.However, this book falls short of teaching how to captivate the audience.If that's what you need, you'd better read a good book on giving presentations first. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Critical thinking    3. Criticism    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Literary Criticism    8. Rhetoric    9. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    10. Literature: History & Criticism    11. Logic    12. Writing skills   

Reviews (6)

Good but old
The elements of business writing give good point to look at.But the book is old and sometime give weird information.It's not an important book to have but, but still have some info.

Very helpful, easy to read.
This book was easy to read and very helpful in communication skills.

One the best guides for business writers
This book, with an obvious nod to Strunk and White (which it surpasses), lists 67 principles of good writing, with about two pages each of details and examples. It's on the short list of recommended resources in my book The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Business Writing and Communication. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business Communication - General    3. Business English    4. Business Writing    5. English language    6. Reference    7. Business & Management    8. Rhetoric    9. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (1)

New Century Handbook Review
GREAT SELLER! The book arrived in great condition and very timely. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. English language    3. Grammar    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Report writing    9. Rhetoric    10. Language & Linguistics    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (1)

A Freshman Composition Reader Worthy of a Look
Dr. Miller has, by and large, pulled in readings from "everyday" places--popular magazines, newspapers, &c.Because of this, the Prentice Hall Reader has a fresh, current feel.Organized by "modes" of writing with supporting how-to essays and a glossary. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. College readers    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English Composition    4. English language    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Problems, exercises, etc    9. Rhetoric    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    11. Teaching of a specific subject    12. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (10)

Fast shipment!
This book came to me in pretty good shape. I was impressed with how quickly it arrived to my house. The book was slightly used but it was at a good price and it served it's purpose.

St. Martins Guide to Reviews
This book is incredible, not only is it necessary for english 3a but I would never have been able to write this review. Not only that but it teaches you how to write good reviews, not bad ones. This book is great!

Much better than other texts
I have used this text in my College Writing class for roughly 4 years, and I continue to like the text overall.I disagree with some other views about the quality of the essays in the texts.The readings on argument are quite good, and they evoke discussion in my classes without prompting.I also like the fact that the text does not have a decidedly liberal bias. IE. They have one essay in favor of same sex marriage and one against it.The end of chapter prewriting activities are also good as are the peer review activities.
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Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Language    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Rhetoric    6. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (8)

A good writers and composition handbook
I taught this book for three years at a community college. It was in between using two Diana Hacker books Rules for Writers and the Bedford Handbook.
So much information so little time
A wonderful book for anyone wanting to write - filled with all the punctuation rules, citing rules, and sentence structure help that anyone could ever need.I am very pleased with this book!

the little brown handbook
very good condition, and came in time for it to serve a purpose in my english class. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. English language    2. Grammar    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Reference    8. Report writing    9. Rhetoric    10. English    11. Writing & editing guides    12. Writing skills   

Reviews (3)

Fare Book- Nasty Price
The book is very basic (almost superficial) but covers most of the important ground well enough. However, it has two major draw-backs: It was great.
Book was great.It was used but in good condition.It arrived in only a couple days.

Great resource book for debaters!
This book is an excellent resource for both high school and college debaters in both the policy and value areas.I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Critical thinking    2. Debate And Forensics    3. Debates and debating    4. Decision making    5. General    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Persuasion (Rhetoric)    10. Public Speaking    11. Reasoning    12. Speech    13. Discourse analysis    14. Philosophy / General    15. Rhetoric   

Subjects:  1. College readers    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English language    4. Grammar    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Rhetoric    10. Language & Linguistics    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (2)

Not very instructive
All the sample essays are great. But their structures, I think, are elusive. The essayists are too professional to choose a college-style method of writing and I had a very difficult time figuring out the elements of those essays. They scatter randomly in the articles and contradict what Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz teach us.
solid basic writing text
I use this book to teach a beginning writing class. The variety of essays is quite good; not every one is a winner, but probably 60% are accessible and there are some rarities here that the students have thoroughly enjoyed, including "Dumpster Diving" by Lars Eighner and "A Crime of Compassion" by Barbara Huttmann. There are enough writers the likes of Dillard, MLK, Ackerman, and Orwell to acquaint novices with great writing, balanced with a good variety of more pop-oriented magazine style pieces. The strategies and guidelines for essays are excellent, and a wealth of possible topics for further development is offered throughout. My class prep time is easy and concise thanks to the book's structure and execution. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. College readers    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English language    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Problems, exercises, etc    8. Report writing    9. Rhetoric    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. English language    3. Grammar    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Report writing    9. Rhetoric    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. English language    3. Grammar    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Report writing    9. Rhetoric    10. Writing Skills    11. Language & Linguistics    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (18)

Very helpful as a starting point for developing a solid writing program
This is a thoughtful book that helps to put you into the mindset of being an excellent teacher by really listening to and valuing the world around you, listening to and valuing your students, and encouraging them to cultivate the wonder in themselves.

A Must Read for Writers and Teachers
I'm in the process of obtaining a masters degree in elementary education and I read this book for a class. But in my opinion, it's a worthwhile read for anyone who teaches writing at any level or for anyone who writes on a regular basis for that matter.
Review of The Art of Teaching Writing
Calkins book was an easy, yet informative read.As a education student, I learned a lot about how to motivate children to want to write.Calkins techniques are practical and simple.It seems that the book could be geared to not just elementary grades, but also to middle school ages.The examples of student writings were great.I will definitely be re-reading this book when I begin teaching in a couple of years. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition and exercises    2. Education / Teaching    3. English language    4. Report writing    5. Rhetoric    6. Study and teaching    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    8. Teaching of a specific subject    9. Writing & editing guides   

Subjects:  1. College readers    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. English language    4. Higher    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Problems, exercises, etc    9. Report writing    10. Rhetoric    11. Creative writing guides    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    13. Language teaching & learning material & coursework    14. Teaching of a specific subject    15. Writing & editing guides   

Subjects:  1. Collections    2. Drama    3. General    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Literary Criticism    6. Literature    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Poetry    9. Rhetoric    10. Literary Criticism & Collections / General    11. Literary studies: general