21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Make every word count with this indispensable dictionary, November 26, 2003
This review is from: The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases (Paperback)
Robert Hartwell Fiscke has produced two powerful, literary weapons to guard against the growing trend of misspellings, tautologies and clichés as well as hackneyed metaphors, inane expressions and bloated or weak writing: The Dimwit's Dictionary: 5000 Overused Words and Phrases and Alternatives to Them (reviewed elsewhere) and The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases.
The key to good writing, according to Fiske who is also the author and publisher of The Vocabula Review (an online journal about the English language), is concise and precise writing ~ and that's just what he offers with these two excellent reference books.
Like Fiske's other guide, The Dictionary of Concise Writing can be used as a reference when needed or read cover to cover. In fact, reading it like a regular book is a good way to grasp the rudiments of good writing.
It comprises two parts: The first offers a wide range of advice on clear and concise writing, including practical suggestions for trimming the fat from sentences and adding more muscle to your work.
The second part is the dictionary, which presents several thousand common, verbose phrases and offers fresh, concise alternatives and real-world examples of useage.
A point made in the foreword by Dr Richard Lederer sums up the objective of the book: "Cutting the fat is probably the quickest and surest way to improve [your writing]."
The author expands on that point in the first chapter:
"Poor grammar, sloppy syntax, abused words, misspelled words and other infelicities of style impede communication and advance only misunderstanding. But there is another, perhaps less well-known, obstacle to effective communication: too many words.
"We often believe that many words are better than few. Perhaps we imagine that the more we say, the more we know or the more others will think we know, or that the more obscure our writing is, the more profound our thoughts are. Seldom, of course, is this so. Wordiness is arguably the biggest obstacle to clear writing and speaking."
As Fiske says, our language has become bloated with phrases such as 'at this juncture' or worse, 'at this moment in the history of my life' which simply translates as 'now'.
The Dictionary of Concise Writing is a must for any writer - amateur or pro - and anyone else wanting to communicate more effectively. But don't just buy it, keep it handy on your desk. If you're like me ~ you'll be reaching for it sooner than you think.
-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely useful - don't be without it, December 6, 2002
This review is from: The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases (Paperback)
"The Dictionary of Concise Writing" is a thorough examination of how to write tight, well-crafted prose. The book begins with a section on "Perfectibility of Words" which defines wordiness and provides various examples of the different types. The following section is "The Imperfectability of People" which discusses the prevalence and acceptance of wordiness in society.
The extensive dictionary actually begins on page 49. Each listed phrase or word combination is followed by suggested substitutions, an example using the "wordy" phrase, and the same example using the correct substitution. If you are wondering if your writing could be more concise or looking for a suggestion for a phrase that just doesn't feel right, or just want to learn better writing skills then this is the book for you. It is the largest and most useful compendium of excessively wordy phrases and practical, workable substitutions that I have had the pleasure of using. A highly recommended purchase for anyone doing any serious writing.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Dictionary is Tops!, October 10, 2002
This review is from: The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases (Paperback)
...Any writer worth his or her salt has heard of author Robert Fiske's books, created and designed to help the aspiring, novice and experienced writer alike to hone their craft. In his Dictionary of Concise Writing, Fiske shows not only how to avoid common pitfalls but also how to strive for originality. He is also an expert on one particular handicap of many writers'... the tendency to use redundant or extraneous, excessively wordy phrases in their narrative prose.
This compilation of experience and wisdom is divided into two major parts; the first covers identifying and correcting excessive wordiness, which in itself may take many authors several months to thoroughly peruse. The second part is a collection of the worst of these writers' sins and his remedy to rectify them. Of course, you don't have to take his advice, but it's strongly advised that you do. After all, he's the expert.
And lest this reader/reviewer succumb to the temptation to wax over long praising this neat, fun and easy to read example of terse prose, let me suffice it to say that no writer with any grit should be without this reference.
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