One of the most popular and respected style guides ever written, this handbook by a seasoned writer with more than forty years of experience offers ten principles and seven axioms that professional writers use to express their thoughts clearly and effectively. This latest edition is expanded to include an extensive glossary of American idiomatic expressions, developed to assist users from other backgrounds and cultures; new chapters with tips on little-known facts of usage, such as compound words, hyphenation, numeration, and capitalization; and explanations of technical problems encountered in writing and editing with tips and exercises to help solve them. For anyone faced with the challenges of written English, Writing with Precision can help readers write more clearly, more effectively, and more precisely than they ever have.
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"If you write for a living," says Jefferson D. Bates in Writing with Precision, "this book is probably not for you." But if what you do for a living involves writing, then this book can help you do so "clearly, concisely, and PRECISELY." Bates is fond of italics, boldface, CAPS, exclamations!, quirky footnotes, and the word crotchet. He's over 80. He's been editorial director of the U.S. Air Force's Effective Writing Program and a chief speechwriter for NASA. The cornerstone of his campaign is the elimination of bureaucratese and jargon. Writing with Precision, originally published in 1978, is divided into four parts: writing (mainly letters, memos, instructions, regulations, and reports), editing (mostly copyediting), usage, and exercises. There is a definite personality behind this readable, conversational book. It's mostly updated, though a little checking by Bates could have prevented the reference to some books as being "probably out of print now."
About the Author
Jefferson D. Bates has served as Editorial Director of the Air Force "Readable Writing" Program, and as the Chief of NASA's speechwriting group. After leaving government service, he became president and CEO of Speak/Write Systems, Inc., a firm specializing in teaching writing and speaking skills. The author of five nonfiction books, he lives in Reston, Virginia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you Mr. Jefferson Bates,
By A Customer
This review is from: Writing with Precision: How to Write So That You Cannot Possibly Be Misunderstood (Paperback)
I picked up this book because I was tired of never knowing for sure what the rules are when it comes to writing and grammer. I was surprised at how easy a read this book was. Mr. Bates has a true knack (or skill) of making a somewhat boring subject quite interesting indeed. The more I read, the more I wished I could just sit down and talk to this man in person. A very interesting read by a very interesting author. If you are a new writer looking for some guidence, or an old hack who has forgotten some of the basics, then this is a great place to start.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Precisely Right,
By Glenn Gallagher "scholarly bureaucrat" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Writing with Precision: How to Write So That You Cannot Possibly Be Misunderstood (Paperback)
Excellent writing guide for the professional who is not necessarily a professional writer, but must write on the job frequently to occasionally. The material, which could have been a little dry and boring, is kept lively by the author's personal anecdotes and witty asides. This writing guide is more complicated than Strunk and White's "Elements of Style", and I don't recommend it for the beginner. Consider adding "Writing with Precision" as the next level of enhancement after reading "Elements of Style" and William Zinsser's "On Writing Well".
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Straight to the point,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Writing with Precision: How to Write So That You Cannot Possibly Be Misunderstood (Paperback)
Although english is a second language for me, I was looking for a book to improve my writing. I found that in this book and more: tips to be understood, to communicate effectively and to write with correct grammar. This author, a man with years of experience, has written a great book to enjoy and learn.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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most administrative writing, smothered verbs, unnecessary shifts, bibliography cards, fog index, narrative hook, vogue words, handbook section, average sentence length, structural linguists Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Air Force, Jim Aswell, Mark Twain, The Washington Post, Murphy's Law, World War, Miss Manners, Government Printing Office, Make Order Out of Chaos, Mona Sheppard, Norvell Page, Reader's Digest, Robert Gunning, The Editorial Eye, The Kidner Report, Modern English Usage, Peggy Smith, Ronald Reagan, Style Manual, The Post, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, American English, English Comp, James Joyce New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
most administrative writing, smothered verbs, unnecessary shifts, bibliography cards, fog index, narrative hook, vogue words, handbook section, average sentence length, structural linguists Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Air Force, Jim Aswell, Mark Twain, The Washington Post, Murphy's Law, World War, Miss Manners, Government Printing Office, Make Order Out of Chaos, Mona Sheppard, Norvell Page, Reader's Digest, Robert Gunning, The Editorial Eye, The Kidner Report, Modern English Usage, Peggy Smith, Ronald Reagan, Style Manual, The Post, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, American English, English Comp, James Joyce New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 87
books:
See all 87 books this book cites
9
books
cite this book:
See all 9 books citing this book
- Oxford Fowler's Modern English Usage Dictionary by H. W. Fowler on 6 pages
- The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr. on 5 pages
- Inner Companions by Colman McCarthy on 4 pages
- Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage by William Morris in Front Matter, page 72, and Back Matter
- Modern American Usage: A Guide by Wilson Follett on page 7, page 75, and Back Matter
See all 87 books this book cites
- The Sell Your Novel Tool kit by Elizabeth Lyon in Back Matter
- How to Write Reports and Proposals by Janis Fisher Chan in Back Matter
- Teaching Writing in Middle School: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques by Beth Means in Back Matter
- New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage by Andrea Sutcliffe in Back Matter
- Business and Technical Communication: An Annotated Guide to Sources, Skills, and Samples (Bibliographies and Indexes in Mass Media and Communications) by Sandra E. Belanger on page 108
See all 9 books citing this book
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