Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know about Writing

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More About This Book

Overview

At last, a writing guide that not only works but makes you laugh out loud—a fitting sequel to the bestselling Woe Is I. And not a minute too soon! Armed with our laptops and our PCs, we're the writing-est generation ever, cranking out e-mail, Web pages, electronic bulletin board postings, not to mention office memos, faxes, reports, newsletters, school papers, even memoirs and novels. But many of us were never taught how to write a sentence that makes sense, how to make sure our words do justice to our ideas. The result? Never have so many written so much so badly. Patricia T. O'Conner comes to the rescue with Words Fail Me, a practical and witty guide to the elements of good writing. She takes you through the writing process step by step. Pat O'Conner has done it again. So, there'll be no more staring blankly at an empty screen. Words Fail Me will charm the good writer out of you.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Words to Live By

Ever laughed aloud while reading? While reading a book on grammar? You will, thanks to language maven Patricia O'Conner, who celebrates the written word with vibrant passion and exceptional clarity. Her style is refreshingly engaging, as she parses sentences economically and with flair. Whether hacks or scribes or yeoman users of English, readers who delighted in O'Conner's bestselling Woe is I will rejoice once more, for her new book -- Words Fail Me -- resumes her direct, humorous assault on misbehaving modifiers, comma sense, and other linguistic maladies.

At the core, communication is a two-part process: An idea is expressed, then it is received. Ideally, that idea is received exactly as intended, and the communication succeeds. Of course, experience demonstrates the fragility of this model. Drawing from a lifetime of writing and editing, including years at The New York Times Book Review, O'Conner explores the reasons behind the rules of written engagement. Then, she nimbly demonstrates strategies to strengthen the message. O'Conner says it best:

"You think nobody cares about grammar? The next time you post a message to an Internet newsgroup, try mixing up it's and its, lie and lay, or there and their, and see what happens. The grammar police will be on your case, and you'll get so many flames that your modem will smoke.

"Believe me, people care. Whether you're writing e-mail or snail mail, a Web page or a page of memoir, grammar counts. Readers may dismiss writing that's otherwise okay, even terrific, if the grammar is screwed up. This is no small matter, particularly when you're trying to make a good impression -- applying for a job, say, or trying to sell a book proposal, or writing an essay for admission to college."

As with her first book, O'Conner's latest effort delivers on many levels and for many readerships. Average writers will find the advice tangible and interesting and the anecdotes memorable. For semipro lexicographers, the pleasures are even more immediate; O'Conner is a master wordsmith of nuance and weight. Words Fail Me, punny title and all, is another startling success, infusing fresh vigor into everyday English.

Seattle Times
O'Conner's guidelines are helpful to anyone who puts pen, or word processor, to paper.
More Reviews (4) Fewer Reviews
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bless her. She's smart about the little things as well as the essentials....This isn't just nuts-and-bolts mechanics. It's the deft touch that makes craftsmen of carpenters and artists, sometimes, of workaday writers.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
So effortless to read...The back cover shows up before you've broken a sweat.
Daniel Pinkwater
Lighthearted and funny...It's like Strunk and White combined with S. J. Perelman—none of whom would have had the slightest objection.
— NY Times Book Review
KLIATT
O'Conner's first book, Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, is a favorite reference in the KLIATT office, so I picked up Words Fail Me with enthusiasm. I am not disappointed, especially since this semester I am trying to help college students with their writing, and I see that O'Conner has pinpointed problems all writers face. Her humorous examples are welcome: e.g., quoting the dead-parrot sketch from Monty Python to illustrate "euphemism run amok." She makes an interesting point that at present writing abounds in our culture—think e-mail—yet we are not necessarily writing well. Her suggestions get to the center of typical problems writers have: identifying their audience, organizing their material, getting started, revising, and perhaps revising once more. We should all be students of writing, because it is such an important part of communicating in our society, and because most all writing could be improved. O'Conner's approach, friendly and helpful with specifics, is one students and teachers can use. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1999, Harcourt/Harvest, 228p, bibliog, index, 21cm, 99-25610, $12.00. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Claire Rosser; January 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 1)

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780156010870
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 9/28/2000
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 240
  • Sales rank: 357,843
  • Lexile: 930L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.18 (w) x 8.04 (h) x 0.60 (d)

Meet the Author

Patrcia T. O'Conner was an editor at the New York Times Book Review when she wrote Woe Is I. Her writing has appeared in many magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times and Newsweek. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, Stewart Kellerman.

Table of Contents

PART I: FIRST THINGS FIRST
 
  • IS THE EGG READY TO HATCH? Know Your Subject
  • PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER: The Organized Writer
  • THE PARTY TO WHOM I AM SPEAKING: Know Your Audience
  • COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS: The First Few Words
  • FROM HERE TO UNCERTAINTY: How Am I Doing?
     
    PART II: THE NUTS AND BOLTS
     
    • POMPOUS CIRCUMSTANCES: Hold the Baloney
    • THE LIFE OF THE PARTY: Verbs That Zing
    • CALL WAITING: Putting the Subject on Hold
    • NOW WHERE WERE WE? A Time and a Place for Everything
    • THE "IT" PARADE: Pronoun Pileups
    • SMOTHERING HEIGHTS: Behavior Modification
    • TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: Sentences That Make Sense
    • MADE FOR EACH OTHER: Well-Matched Sentences
    • GIVE ME A BREAK: Thinking in Paragraphs
    • THE SNAKE'S PROGRESS: Fear of Repetition
    • TRAINING WHEELS: Belaboring the Obvious
    • CRITIQUE OF POOR REASON: The Art of Making Sense
    • DOWN FOR THE COUNT: When the Numbers Don't Add Up
    • GRAMMAR MOSES: Thou Shalt Not Embarrass Thyself
    • (Includes sections called An I for an I; Comma Sense; Taking Leave of
    • Your Tenses; Rules, Schmules; Spellbinding; and others)
       
      PART III: THE FINER POINTS
       
      • LOST HORIZON: What's the Point of View?
      • WIMPING OUT: The Backward Writer
      • EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE SUBJECT: Song of Myself
      • PROMISES, PROMISES: If You Make Them, Keep Them
      • YOU GOT RHYTHM: Writing to the Beat
      • THE HUMAN COMEDY: What's So Funny?
      • I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Writing With Feeling
      • THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING HONEST: Leveling With the Reader
      • ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK: What to Do When You're Stuck
      • DEBT BEFORE DISHONOR: How and What to Borrow
      • REVISE AND CONSENT: Getting to the Finish Line

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