The New Oxford Guide to Writing [Paperback]

Thomas S. Kane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 1994

Many books on writing tell you how to think more creatively, how to conjure up an idea from scratch. Many, once you have an idea, show you how to express it clearly and elegantly. And many handbooks offer reliable advice on the use of commas, semicolons, and so forth. But The New Oxford Guide to Writing does all three, so that no matter where you find yourself in the writing process--from the daunting look of a blank page, to the rough draft that needs shaping, to the small but important questions of punctuation--you will find what you need in one handy volume.
Highlighted by numerous examples of successful prose--including marvelous, brief excerpts from Mark Twain, Joan Didion, H.L. Mencken, E.B. White, and Annie Dillard--this stimulating volume covers the entire subject step-by-step, clearly and authoritatively. It shows:
* How to use commonplace books and journals to store
ideas, how to brainstorm, how to explore a potential
topic systematically
* How to use a statement of purpose or an outline to
give preliminary shape to your material, how to use
drafts and revisions (and more revisions) to refine
your ideas
* How to open an essay clearly and interestingly, how
to lead the reader subtly, how to use qualifications
to express complexity without sacrificing impact
* How to organize ideas into a coherent paragraph, how
to vary sentence structure and length for variety and
emphasis
* How to select words that convey both information and
point of view
* And much, much more
In addition, it contains a useful appendix on punctuation, ranging from commas and periods to underlining and capitalization.
Whether you write for business or for pleasure, whether you are a beginner or an experienced pro, The New Oxford Guide to Writing is an essential addition to your reference library, providing abundant assistance and encouragement to write with more clarity, more color, and more force.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is an apparently endless supply of books about writing. Very few of those books, surprisingly, offer a thorough and scholarly approach to the basics: words, sentences, and paragraphs. The New Oxford Guide to Writing does. According to author Thomas S. Kane, writing is "an exercise of mind requiring the mastery of techniques anyone can learn." Kane's not claiming he can create a genius, but, as he says in his introduction, "you don't have to be a genius to write clear, effective English." The writing that Kane refers to here is expository and persuasive in nature--writing most likely to be required in day-to-day life. In great detail Kane explores the building of an essay, the development of paragraphs, the styling of sentences, the use of diction, and, finally, issues of punctuation. It is unlikely that very many writers have scrutinized the building blocks of language the way Kane has, but it's never too late. Rare is the sourcebook that can offer so much both to beginners and experts alike. And anyone who loves words will thrill to encounter--if he or she hasn't done so already--the freight-train sentence, parataxis, the triadic sentence, polysyndeton, asyndeton, collocation, and zeugma. --Jane Steinberg

From Library Journal

Kane, who also wrote the earlier Oxford Guide to Writing (1983), leads the student in some detail through such fundamentals as planning the writing project, grammar, style, and things to avoidall with a view to developing command over the niceties of proper expository prose. The early chapters conclude with short practice exercises. Throughout, excerpts from distinguished authors are offered as examples. Major sections are devoted to the essay, paragraph, sentence, diction, description and narration, and punctuation. A bit stuffy for general readers, and aspiring creative and professional writers might not buy into all this self-conscious correctness. Still, suited for use in college English courses or as an extra reference in libraries not overstocked on this subject. William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195090594
• ISBN-13: 978-0195090598
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Know all the techniques and why they work. Write with class., July 19, 2001

By 

Muthukumar U (Sharjah United Arab Emirates) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Oxford Guide to Writing (Paperback)

This is the best book on writing I've read so far. It would be more precise to say this is a book on how to dress your thoughts in words most effectively.

I still remember an illustrative example somewhere in the initial pages. What is not so good about the sentence "She dresses in a beaatuful manner" ?. Well, it becomes more effective when written as "She dresses beautifully". In the long phrase "in a beautiful manner", the focus is dissipated over many words. Whereas, "beautifully" compresses meaning in one word and what's more, it sits at the end of the sentence, tending to stay in the reader's mind longer.

The book is full of such fine points and subtle techniques. Kane has taken a wonderfully orderly approach to teaching the writing process right from the basic element - the sentence, to the whole picture - the essay. Gradually building layer on layer, you see how the parts make the whole and how different aspects of writing contribute to the reader's final experience.

There are many meaningful exercises that will make you understand the huge number of tehcniques. Another important feature of the book is its examples of different types and styles of writing taken from a wide range of well known authors -Bertrand Russell, Samuel Johnson, E B White, Virginia Woolf, G K Chesterton, H G Wells, Mark Twain and so on. Kane takes each excerpt from these authors and explains why they work.

With a little effort, you can start writing almost as well as them, at least you'll know how those great authors thought before penning their ideas.

The book is set in very eye-pleasing font and well presented. Get the hardback if you can. If you're really interested in writing, this is a book you'll want to treasure.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The essential book for writing instructors, February 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Oxford Guide to Writing (Paperback)

The New Oxford Guide to Writing is vastly superior to the grammar manuals and reference books that writing instructors usually assign their students. Kane doesn't merely prescribe rules for students to memorize; he imparts genuine understanding of the mechanics and conventions of good prose and takes you through the entire writing process, from facing a blank page to polishing a finished piece. By demystifying this process, Kane's guide empowers students to find their own voices and to keep improving their skills for years to come.

Everyone, from beginner to professional, should have a copy of this book.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and useful, November 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Oxford Guide to Writing (Paperback)

The entertaining aspect is the quotations illustrating various techniques of style. The useful aspect is the identification of many features of style unnoticed by me.

It may indicate the age of the author that on p. 32 he recommends "If you type .... Keep the keys clean and invest now and then in a new ribbon." He has no special advice for users of a word processor, and I'd guess he never used one. He refers to Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, which gives an idea of how new "new" is.

I'd put this book at a high-school to first-year college level. The author's style is that of a friendly and knowledgable advisor, pedantic at times, but usually not.

I found the examples really made the points, and the overall view of techniques shows what can be done.