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

by Patricia T. O'Conner

Overview

From a bestselling author on grammar, Patricia O’Connor’s guide to grammar fundamentals is “sympathetic to the struggling writer and often just plain funny.” (The Seattle Times)
Whether you are working on the novel that's been in the back of your mind for years or simply facing an increasing demand to write well at work or school, the fact remains: we all write more often these days, be it reports, e-mails, blog posts, or texts. But despite the increase in written communication, the fundamentals of good writing have been lost. Grammar maven Patricia T. O'Conner comes to the rescue with this painless, practical, and funny writing companion.
In short, snappy chapters filled with crystal-clear examples, amusing comparisons, and humorous allegories that cover everything from "Pronoun Pileups" and "Verbs That Zing" to "What to Do When You're Stuck," O'Conner provides simple, straightforward tips to help you sort through your thoughts and make your sentences strong.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780156010870
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/07/2000
Series:	Harvest Book
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.59(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)

About the Author

Patricia 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.

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

What People are Saying About This

Patricia Holt

Patricia O'Conner's commonsense approach is as entertaining as it is instructive....She has written a nifty guidebook to modern grammar that affectionately elbows the reader on every page.

Editorial Reviews

"O'Conner uses her playful sense of humor to help us swallow with a laugh the rules that schoolmarms once forced down students' throats.-The New York Times Book Review
"O'Conner is one of those sneaky-good writers: You don't see the effort behind her smoothness."-Salon.com "Read this one from end to end....Imagine what the Congressional Record would be like if bureaucrats wrote that way."-The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Will delight the word lovers on your shopping list...Sassy." -Detroit News Free Press
"Remember Woe Is I? Well, Ms. O'Conner is back and she hasn't lost her touch. This book is worth the price just to read her chapter titles and headings."-Writers' Exchange
"Patricia T. O'Conner's Woe Is I and Words Fail Me are readable, sympathetic to the struggling writer and often just plain funny."-the Seattle Times
—

From the Publisher

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.

bn.com

O'Conner's guidelines are helpful to anyone who puts pen, or word processor, to paper.

Seattle Times

So effortless to read...The back cover shows up before you've broken a sweat.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

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.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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

Daniel Pinkwater