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Published Sep 2014
368 pages
Genre: Advice
Publication Information
Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better? Is the English language being corrupted by texting and social media? Do the kids today even care about good writing? Why should any of us care?
In The Sense of Style, the bestselling linguist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker answers these questions and more. Rethinking the usage guide for the twenty-first century, Pinker doesn't carp about the decline of language or recycle pet peeves from the rulebooks of a century ago. Instead, he applies insights from the sciences of language and mind to the challenge of crafting clear, coherent, and stylish prose.
In this short, cheerful, and eminently practical book, Pinker shows how writing depends on imagination, empathy, coherence, grammatical knowhow, and an ability to savor and reverse engineer the good prose of others. He replaces dogma about usage with reason and evidence, allowing writers and editors to apply the guidelines judiciously, rather than robotically, being mindful of what they are designed to accomplish.
Filled with examples of great and gruesome prose, Pinker shows us how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right.
Starred Review. Every writer can profit from - and every reader can enjoy - Pinker's analysis of the ways in which skillfully chosen words engage the mind." - Publishers Weekly
"Yet another how-to book on writing? Indeed, but this is one of the best to come along in many years, a model of intelligent signposting and syntactical comportment…Pinker's vade mecum is a worthy addition to any writer's library." - Kirkus
"Who better than a best-selling linguist and cognitive scientist to craft a style guide showing us how to use language more effectively?" - Library Journal
"[A] dense, fascinating analysis of the many ways communication can be stymied by word choice, placement, stress, and the like. [Pinker's] explanations run rich and deep, complemented by lists, cartoons, charts on diagramming sentences, and more." - Booklist
"This book is a graceful and clear smackdown to the notion that English is going to the proverbial dogs." - John McWhorter, author of Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue and The Power of Babel
"Pinker's curiosity and delight illuminate every page, and when he says style can make the world a better place, we believe him." - Patricia T. O'Conner, author of Woe Is I and, with Stewart Kellerman, Origins of the Specious
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Photo: Rose Lincoln
Steven Pinker is one of the world's leading authorities on language and the mind. His popular and highly praised books include The Stuff of Thought, The Blank Slate, Words and Rules, How the Mind Works, and The Language Instinct. The recipient of several major awards for his teaching, books, and scientific research, Pinker is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He also writes frequently for the New York Times, Time, the New Republic, and other magazines.
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