It is obvious we are living in a veritable Renaissance of bad grammar and sickening syntax. From text messages to YouTube comments, from college entry essays to blog posts, we have seen the English language take several steps back even as technology has rapidly advanced.
Now, we can’t expect everyone to read a book like Create, Narrate, Punctuate by Ramy Tadros. But if they did, we would see this ugly grammar ship begin to turn. The subtitle of this short, helpful book is “How to Fashion Exquisitely Styled Sentences,” and Tadros really delivers on that promise. It may not ignite the syntactical revolution that many of us hope it would, but this book certainly had a positive effect on me. My writing has already benefitted greatly from this treasure trove of a book.
Tadros begins with an admonition: an author’s purpose in writing is to serve the reader, not make himself appear clever or intelligent. Amen to that. He then continues by addressing action verbs, sentence structure, punctuation, active vs. passive voice, rhetorical devices, and common mistakes in sentence-craft. Sound dull? It’s not! Tadros keeps the pace quick and the tone upbeat. He is a funny and engaging writer. Imagine that.
Each chapter ends with some writing exercises. All of them are helpful practice. This is a book you can read and immediately apply. Undoubtedly you will see your writing, and in my case, even your public speaking, improve with these principles in place.
As a bonus, Tadros includes many examples of great writing—not to mention a few examples of deplorable prose. I discovered some authors I hadn’t heard of, and I will be checking out more of their writing.
If you hated high school English class, but still want to improve your writing, this book is for you. And for less than a fiver on Amazon, this is a no-brainer.