Style Lesson Two from Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M' Williams

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Style Lesson Twofrom Style Ten Lessons in
Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams

• Stephanie Fischetti
• Instructor, ENC1102

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Active versus Passive Voice

• Passive Lack of newspaper support caused our
  loss of the election.
• Active We lost the election because newspapers
  didnt support us.
• Whenever possible, choose the active voice.

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Standard English

• Evolved over centuries
• Depended on who was in power
• Correct grammar usage does not indicate
  intellectual or moral superiority. It just means
  that the writer is conforming to accepted
  standards regarding English usage.

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Types of Rules

• Real Rules
• Rules of Standard English
• Folklore
• The rules of Standard English and folklore have
  been invented by grammarians.
• The real rules have been invented by people who
  speak English.

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The Point

• Writers should not change how they write
  grammarians should change their rules.
• This is a descriptive rather than a prescriptive
  approach to grammar. Williams argues that grammar
  is defined by usage rather than usage by grammar.

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People who observe all the rules all the time

• Seek to write with style
• Try to appear to have a sense of class
• Have clarity and grace
• Works Cited
• Williams, Joseph M. Style Ten Lessons in Clarity
  and Grace. 8th ed. New York Pearson, 2005.