The Writer's Options: Lessons in Style and Arrangement (7th Edition) (Paperback)

by Max Morenberg (Author), Jeffrey Sommers (Author), Donald A. Daiker (Author), Andrew Kerek (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This classic rhetoric has taught thousands of readers to write clearer, more eloquent prose through practice. Teeming with exercises, The Writer's Options encourages readers to investigate their writing "options" through sentence-combining to create more sophisticated, more effective constructions. This edition brings new Overview and Review sections to each unit as well as new samples. Over 25% of the examples and exercises are new, and like the previous editions, they reflect appealing, interesting themes often in a lighthearted vein. This classic writing guide uses sentence-combining exercises within a rhetorical context to teach readers how to master the conventions of grammar and compound/complex sentence constructions. An introduction to the writing process-including prewriting techniques, drafting, and peer collaboration-is featured at the front of the book, putting the emphasis on writing. Part II offers a review of sentence parts and how they can be varied. The book covers sentence-level matters of style-coherence, tone, and emphasis. Appealing and accessible examples and exercises were chosen specifically to be relevant to today's readers. Expanded coverage of audience and tone provides more rhetorical context for discussions. For those interested in developing their grammar and writing skills at the sentence level.

From the Back Cover
This classic rhetoric has taught thousands of readers to write clearer, more eloquent prose through practice. Teeming with exercises, The Writer's Options encourages readers to investigate their writing "options" through sentence-combining to create more sophisticated, more effective constructions. This edition brings new Overview and Review sections to each unit as well as new samples. Over 25% of the examples and exercises are new, and like the previous editions, they reflect appealing, interesting themes often in a lighthearted vein. This classic writing guide uses sentence-combining exercises within a rhetorical context to teach readers how to master the conventions of grammar and compound/complex sentence constructions. An introduction to the writing process-including prewriting techniques, drafting, and peer collaboration-is featured at the front of the book, putting the emphasis on writing. Part II offers a review of sentence parts and how they can be varied. The book covers sentence-level matters of style-coherence, tone, and emphasis. Appealing and accessible examples and exercises were chosen specifically to be relevant to today's readers. Expanded coverage of audience and tone provides more rhetorical context for discussions. For those interested in developing their grammar and writing skills at the sentence level.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 7 edition (December 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032107226X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321072269
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #426,097 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent text for learning complex sentence structures, March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Writer's Options: Lessons in Style and Arrangement (6th Edition) (Paperback)

The latest edition of THE WRITER'S OPTIONS brings even more sentence and paragraph combining excercises to the student. The easily accessible (often with a touch of humor) helps students to develop sophisticated grammatical constructions that improve the quality of writing. The book also deals with writing strategies (prewriting and drafting, for example). Text frequently used in high school AP Language and Composition courses even though it is aimed at 1st and 2nd year of college composition courses.

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem, October 22, 2008

By	Cheryl Miller Thurston "President of Cottonwo... (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews

I used a much earlier edition of this book when I was teaching freshman composition at the university level years ago, and I highly recommend it. It's simply the best book I've ever found for helping students learn about sentence structure. Even skilled writers can learn from simply reading this book. They can learn even more by trying the exercises themselves.

5.0 out of 5 stars a rarity - it does what it says it does, June 11, 2006

By	Eriq Turnqvist "Penang Curry Licker" (Spaceship Earth) - See all my reviews

The Writer's Options reads like a grammar work for writers who hate grammar. So don't tell anyone - there is grammar inside this book.

This book teaches writers different types of sentences (and grammar) while showing how these sentences overlap.

Underneath the surface, the Writer's Options teaches how grammar works. The book's not so interested in IDing each word in a sentence - for that, see "Doing Grammar" by the same author - but in showing how you'd make each kind of sentence.

The examples in the book show and reinforce the explanations, which give just enough info so that you can use that part of the grammar. Even better, each chapter builds on previous lessons so that (usually) old sentence types can be reviewed as new ones are introduced.

Further props are given to a part of writing that is always essential but rarely taught: revision. In particular, both tone and paragraph-level rewrites really help focus a first draft into a final one.

With this book, what problems exist are few. Not every sentence type is covered, more complex constructions are eschewed, and others are not covered in deep detail. For people needed more grammar instruction, you won't find it here. Other books might have a broader list of sentence patterns as well.

Students who hail from other countries or natives expecting grammatical instruction may not get what they're hoping for in this book. Yet by the end of the exercises in the book they'll be putting things together, just the same.