The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing (Essential Resource Library)

by Thomas S. Kane

A Concise Course in the Art of Writing
 
Whether you’re composing a letter, writing a school thesis, or starting a novel, this resource offers expert advice on how to think more creatively, how to conjure up ideas from scratch, and how to express those ideas clearly and elegantly. No matter where you find yourself in the writing process—from the daunting look of a blank page, to the rough draft that needs shaping, to the small but important questions of punctuation—you’ll find what you need in this one handy, all-inclusive volume. Some features
 
• How to use journals to store ideas and explore potential topics
• Examples of style and technique from such masters of form as Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, E.B. White, and Annie Dillard
• Advice on using outlines to shape your material—and drafts and revisions to refine them
• Selecting the proper words to convey both information and point of view
• A useful appendix on punctuation, ranging from commas to underlining and capitalization

Genres: Writing, Reference, Nonfiction, Language, Education, Self Help, Linguistics

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 10, 2000

Reviews

[Jennifer]

The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing covers a wide range of topics: grammar, structure, dictation, punctuation, and the writing process. There is a lot of information packed into this little book, and it’s worth the read if you are a writer or editor.

The punctuation section was okay, but for something more robust I would recommend reading McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage.

[Jeff Diamond]

For all intents and purposes, The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing (Essential Resource Library) is a reference book that is meant to be read. That is, however assuming that the areas of short non-fiction are the areas you're writing about.

The book's main purpose is obviously to inform the reader, not to entertain. That being said, there is a significant effort to lighten the tone and move away from the drudgery of constant grammar and style tips. What it all boils down to is that this is a fairly boring book, but one that many college students have to read in composition classes.

The tips contained in the book are good if you are in need of ideas to help improve your prose, but sometimes the advice seems so specific as to be useless in any practical sense. As with many non-fiction books of this length, the author pays so much attention to the knitty-gritty details that he almost seems to lose sight of the big question of "How can I improve the clarity and power of my writing?"

Overall, this is a useful book, but not a particularly interesting one. My recommendation would be to read it if you have to. Otherwise, keep it in your collection if you plan on continuing to write, but sit it on your shelf with the Chicago Manual of Style. The Chicago manual can provide you with gammatical and mechanical details, and the Oxford Essential can provide you with larger, paragraph- or paper-level tips.

[Natalie]

I used this text for my Copy Editing II class, and was initially annoyed that it is more of a resource for writers than editors. I quickly found it indispensable, though, since it taught me to tear apart and rebuild sentences and to defend my work in doing so.

[Anne Crumpacker]

OK so now you know, but don't laugh at me! I've suddenly have readers on my blog, and I desperately need a brush-up on my writing skills. The guide is very good so far, but it doesn't help with my typos or misspellings!

[Zuzana]

I read all the chunks that were assigned in my copyediting class. I don't enjoy writing in the least, so this wasn't my favorite book, but I can see how it would be very helpful for actual writers. For copyeditors, it has good FYI bits.

[Danial Kalbasi]

This book covers many aspects of writing. However, you need to remember to not read this book in a one shot, because, it can be really boring after first chapters! Try to read the first chapters and read back and forth later on, when you need it.

[Demy Nong]

I bought this book at kinokuniya thailand as i realized my brain was biting and my words have become rigid. I had to improve my writing. It's not just about speaking a better english but how do I find my stories and put it to letters. It's difficult.
This is an academic book, probably the last book u wanna spend reading on the weekend. But if it saved me from an anxiety attack of writing some 2000 words essay then maybe it could help you on your next writing as well.

"In personal writing, words are not simply an expression of self, they help to create the self. In struggling to say what we are, we become what we say."

[Bridger Cummings]

A comprehensive book with tons of tips on improving one's prose.

[Liping Liang]

I borrowed this from a colleague and I found it very useful, so after reading this one twice I bought a new edition of it.

[Frank]

A good 'bible' for writers.

[Ei Thwe]

i am trying to answer IELTS

[Molebatsi]

It is good guide to writing, an essential guide.

[Aditya Mookerjee]

Very useful book, to develop skills in writing. I have learnt how to begin, continue and end a piece of writing. The book is not the easiest to understand, in the sense, that I do not use the type of English encountered in the book, nor have I encountered it commonly in other books.
I found very instructive, how to link more than one paragraph, using deliberate means. I do the exercises faithfully, which are found in the end of the chapters. I am still in the beginnings of the book.

[Juan Ignacio Gelos]

This essential resource helps all writers organize, shape, and complete their work while expressing their ideas creatively and clearly. Rules of style and technique are covered, with examples of expert prose from the masters. An Appendix covers punctuation and grammar.

[Lynne]

Surprisingly motivational for optional reading for a copyediting class. I actually went ahead and read the entire thing and I think, if I actually take the time to look back at it, it might help me with my own writing.

[Casey Shapack]

A little wordy and robust, but a good resource about crafting and editing writing.

[Moneeza Rafiq]

A very very handy resource for writing skills, tips and examples.

[Said Dhimni]

I read many chapters of it. It was good at that time. I may return to it later to complete.