Communication
Cassell’s Guide To Written English by James Aitchison
I read this book because I wanted to improve my writing by gaining a better understanding of the formal structure of written English, so I would know what the rules are and when I am breaking them. The author makes the point that breaking the rules unknowingly will alienate some of your readers, undermine your authority in your chosen subject area, and just plain distract and annoy more pedantic types; so you’d better be aware of when you’re doing it.
The book does an amicable job of covering the various different types of speech, sentence construction, use of rhythm in writing, avoiding repetition and monotony; and more. I found the sections on the deeper intricacies of phrasing almost sleep-inducing; “almost” being a shame because I was suffering quite bad insomnia at the time, and could have done with something that forcibly made me nod off.
The author makes seemingly arbitrary … Continue reading…