Product Description

Some sample entries:

STYLE

The style of a dissertation need not differ markedly from that of an essay, except insofar as an essay may allow a more personal approach. The emphasis in a short essay is on the points - perhaps personal and controversial - that the writer wants to make and he or she will provide just sufficient supporting material in the space available. The emphasis in a thesis is on the extended detail of the material collected. The thesis-writer mut defend his or her thesis, but argument alone will not suffice if the evidence does not carry conviction. Consequently, a neutral, balanced, impersonal style - taking particular care to avoid rash statements and generalisations - is generall what is called for. For additional material that could be relevant to dissertations and theses, please see the sections `Note-taking' and `Summaries', as well as the sections on `Research', `Reports', `Essays', and `References' that precede this one.

THE COMMA

The comma is perhaps rivalled only by the apostrophe for the amount of confusion it can cause. In certain circumstances, including or excluding a comma is largely a matter of taste. There are many contexts, however, in which the correct use of a comma, as of any punctuation mark, is essential if a sentence is to be properly understood. Although the main function of punctuation is to separate - sentence from sentence, clause from clause, one meaningful unit of language from another - it can also be seen as a linking device. Commas illustrate this point well. They have several main functions - three that have mainly to do with separation and two that have more to do with linking. Commas separate the items in a list, separate small sections at the beginning and end of sentences, and bracket independent sections in the middle of sentences. But commas also link the clauses that make up a compound sentence and the beginning and end of clauses from which something has been missed out. These five functions will now be dealt with in more detail. Three other specific uses of commas will then complete this section.

JOB APPLICATIONS AND CVS

Any letter almost inevitably puts the writer on show. This is never more crucially the case than when you are trying to make a favourable impression on a possible employer. Moreover, many employers are actually looking for people who `can communicate effectively'. A large part of effective communication takes place on paper. Letter-writing skills are therefore an asset to an applicant, so the letter of application is doubly important because it gives the applicant an opportunity to demonstrate those skills. In many cases, a letter of application will be accompanied by a curriculum vitae (CV) giving details of your background, education, previous experience, etc. The two should be thought of together. Part of the purpose of the letter is to point out key aspects of the CV, but it can also include material that does not fit within the schematic framework of a CV as well as giving a more general impression of your personality, interests, and capabilities.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3521 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-28
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
The Penguin Writer's Manual is the essential companion for anyone who wants to master the art of writing good English. Whether you're composing an essay, sending a business letter or an email to a colleague, or firing off an angry letter to a newspaper, this guide will help you to brush up you communication skills and write correct and confident English.

From the Back Cover
A Selection of Sample Entries:

`'meter or metre? In British English a metre is a measurement of length equal to 100 centimetres, while a measuring instrument is a meter: to read the meter. Likewise, in British English, the rhythmic pattern of a line of poetry is its metre, though the words for specific types of mere end in -er: hexameter; iambic pentameter. In American English the spelling meter is used for all of these senses'.

`And

'assume or presume? Assume and presume are almost interchangeable in the meaning 'suppose'. Presume is rather more formal and tends to suggest that a supposition is made on the basis of a deduction or a reasonable likelihood, and has a slightly unfavourable tinge, possibly picked up from its other meaning ('to take liberties'): Dr Livingstone, I presume? (who else could it be?); From what you said yesterday, I presumed that you'd already made up your mind. Assume is, however, definitely the word to choose if something is being put forward as a basis for argument: In drawing up your pension forecast, I assumed that interest rates would remain at about 5 per cent'.

`And

'till or until? Till and untill can be used interchangeably. Until is slightly more formal than till and in writing until is more commonly found than till'.

Customer Reviews

A book to turn everyone into a writer
I write for a living and I also train others to improve their writing and this lovely little book as been a godsend. I encourage everyone I ever teach to buy it (or get the boss to buy it for them).

It's written so well that you can relax with it over a cup of tea or read it on the train home after a tiring day's work and it won't send you to sleep! It is practical, approachable and has everything it says that good writing should: clarity, simplicity, economy, variety, vigour and suitability.

Mind you, I would have called it the Penuin Writers' Guide. I wonder if they agonised over that. Maybe they want us all to have one each, not to share.

Highly recommended
This book is extremely useful. It will help anyone at any level, from a regular or professional writer to someone trying to create a CV or letter.

Everything is explained in simple layman's terms, and is supported by useful everyday examples. The best thing is that it's not at all patronising, it's just very matter of fact.

I would strongly recommend this book, and would also recommend "The Penguin Guide to Punctuation" by Robert L. Trask in the same series.

First-time the Title says what it means
I purchased "The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books)". Although it says reference - it actually is teaching you how to group words into paragraphs. Over-all how to construct paragraphs into an essay.

Not only that, it starts from basics to advance writing essays or novels.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn from scratch or use it as a reference book.

The great thing about this book is that it is so easy to understand. The author has taken great deal of pains taking to explain how the paragraph's can be constructed in a lay man's term.

It is definitely better book!