Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought Microstyle after reading the NY Times review, and found it to be an interesting but slightly repetitive survey of short marketing messages and funny one-liners.
Most of the examples in the book are advertising slogans, mixed in with far too many fake headlines from The Onion and selections from Twitter Wit and the FakeAPStyleGuide. I kept waiting for a discussion of more substantive micro-communication. There was no mention of Iran, China, or other places where people have been experimenting with short bursts of text to organize, communicate with the world and avoid censorship. Surely the author has seen instructive examples of that type of communication, and I think the book would benefit by moving beyond branding, marketing and humor.
Highlights were the three short chapters on rhythm, poetic patterns and sonority, but in general this book made me want to re-read Strunk & White. For a more elegantly curated collection of microstyle, try Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style.
(As an aside, I bought the Kindle version because I could not stand to look at the book jacket. Microstyle applies to graphic design as well, and the jacket design is a clunky and nonsensical mixture of metaphors: ruled notebook paper, two kinds of typewriter text, digital type and a stylized magnifying glass, which might also represent a search icon. The author is able to elegantly dissect mixed metaphor in text, but his insights should have been aggressively applied to the cover.)


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A field guide for the age of the incredible shrinking message.
Some of the most important verbal messages we craft are also the shortest: headlines, titles, sound bites, brand names, domain names, slogans, taglines, company mantras, email signatures, bullet points. These miniature messages depend not on the elements of style but rather on the atoms of style. They require microstyle. Branding consultant Christopher Johnson here reveals the once-secret knowledge of poets, copywriters, brand namers, political speechwriters, and other professional verbal miniaturists. Each chapter discusses one tool that helps miniature messages grab attention, communicate instantly, stick in the mind, and roll off the tongue. As he highlights examples of those tools used well, Johnson also examines messages that miss the mark, either by failing to use a tool or by using it badly. Microstyle shows readers how to say the most with the least, while offering a lively romp through the historic transformation of mass media into the media of the personal.

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SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice Review

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(More customer reviews)Now that two of my boys are in high school, my ears are frequently tuned towards SAT information. When to take it? How many times? How critical is scoring well to future college placement? And finally, how should my sons best prepare?
If you want to know the basics of the test, visit here.
Should a high SAT score be your goal? Of course you want your student to do well, but the SAT is only one piece of the puzzle. A survey published through the National Association of College Admission Counseling found 75% of the colleges interviewed reported using scores "holistically." Meaning, the tests are just one factor out of several in how an applicant is evaluated. Extra-curricular activities, GPA, course of study, curriculum quality, college prep-class grades, etc. all are taken into consideration.
How you choose to prepare is entirely up to you, there are prep courses, tutors, practice tests, SAT question of the day, and if you are most interested in preparing for the English portion, this book by K. Tichenell specifically targets that.
Tichenell's philosophy is that a student must be exposed to lots of challenging, sophisticated vocabulary, and should be well read in good literature. Understanding there are so many books and so little time, the author offers an interesting approach: short stories (i.e.: 6 pages) are presented with a plethora of unique words, with the definition provided in the sidebar. After reading the story the student will answer questions that will specifically test the comprehension of the words. Makes sense. Instead of just trying to memorize word meanings, read them in the context of a story, and you may find it easier to understand words such as nonce, cadent, predilection, vapid, and fardel.
My 16 year old and I both sampled chapter 1. We averaged about 50%. He thought the exercise was challenging, but fun, and felt it was a nice complement to his SAT prep. Clearly we both need more exposure to sui generis palaver.
My husband and I also enjoyed being set straight on when to use "who" or "whom", and all the little nuggets shared helped us understand the mysteries of the English language! This book includes quite a comprehensive explanation of English rules, standards, and overview of everything one would need to know to master English.
However you decide to have your student prepare for the SAT is up to you, but considering this book provides a wealth of useful advice at a reasonable price, it might be a good place to start. I tend to agree with K. Tichenell's insight:
The ability to express thoughts clearly, coherently, and persuasively is an essential skill in college, in the workplace and indeed anywhere in the modern world. Even those whose role in society requires little or no communications skills will benefit occasionally from the ability to describe an event and write a convincing letter or, failing that, will suffer from the inability to do so at the hands of those who can.

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English vocabulary, usage, comprehension, and composition preparation for college and college placement exams. This is a book for the serious college-bound student with little time, limited patience and a low boredom threshold. Vocabulary learnt in meaningful and entertaining context, grammar demonstrated in highly memorable examples and writing style devices illustrated and practiced throughout the book teach essential language skills, mastery over which will benefit college students throughout their academic careers as well as lead to high scores on college entrance exams. The author's experience translating and editing the papers of non-native English speakers for publication in academic journals, together with teaching college, high school, homeschool and ESL students is brought to bear in addressing the language problems which confound both English and non-English speaking students - from colloquialisms of the American teen to the misusages peculiar to foreign professors. Emphasis is upon acquiring the habit of and skills for identifying and employing those language devices that will most clearly and accurately convey the message and desired impression of the writer/speaker to the intended reader or audience - whatever audience that might be, but with emphasis on the academic world. The student learns how to determine what the "correct grammar" for a particular purpose is, quickly and easily, by sampling common usage within academia or elsewhere and emulating the appropriate level of formality.

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The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)The new version is certainly worth the purchase price! They've added an entire new section on electronic publishing, updated capitalization rules (web [lowercase] is now acceptable), made things more consistent, and speaking of consistency, added a new section on parallel structure. :)
The updated rules for numbers now allow me to toss the ancient GPO Style Manual kept handy for that (I work in science and technology), not to mention the new usage section covering most of the troublesome words means I'll be reaching for my American Heritage dictionary less frequently.
Well done Chicago! Thank you!

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While digital technologies have revolutionized the publishing world in the twenty-first century, one thing still remains true: The Chicago Manual of Style is the authoritative, trusted source that writers, editors, and publishers turn to for guidance on style and process. For the sixteenth edition, every aspect of coverage has been reconsidered to reflect how publishing professionals work today. Though processes may change, the Manual continues to offer the clear, well-considered style and usage advice it has for more than a century.
The sixteenth edition offers expanded information on producing electronic publications, including web-based content and e-books. An updated appendix on production and digital technology demystifies the process of electronic workflow and offers a primer on the use of XML markup, and a revised glossary includes a host of terms associated with electronic as well as print publishing. The Chicago system of documentation has been streamlined and adapted for a variety of online and digital sources. Figures and tables are updated throughout the book—including a return to the Manual's popular hyphenation table and new, comprehensive listings of Unicode numbers for special characters.

With the wisdom of a hundred years of editorial practice and a wealth of industry expertise from both Chicago's staff and an advisory board of publishing professionals, The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, is an invaluable resource in this rapidly changing world. If you work with words—no matter what the delivery medium—this is the one reference you simply must have.

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The Internet and the Language Classroom (Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers) Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent book. The first pages (Guidelines) serve as the basis to understand what Internet is all about and how it can be used in ELT . It's got tips, hands-on sections and Website FAQs. They're a must for newbies like me. For us, EFL/ESl teachers, this book is an excellent resource to start our journey towards the integration of ICT into the language classroom. Wonderful activities, smartly organized by levels and themes.

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This new edition offers clear guidance on the practicalities of the Internet as a resource and classroom tool and a range of practical activities grouped by themes and levels.

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