The Saywot Blog

Lecture 1.3

Writing At The Word Level

How Words Work
– Good grammar and coherent sentence structure are the foundation of effective writing but you also need to choose your words well
– English is constantly changing. New words (neologisms or coined words) such as cronuts (croissant+donut) or phablet enter the language and once they become popular many are added to dictionaries
– ‘The Cupertino Error’ spell checkers changed the name of the Californian city ‘Cupertino’ to co-operation ( I suspect this was said to reduce reliance on word processing spell checkers)
On The Importance Of Words
“One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the last moment” – The Modernism Center
Voice, Tone and Style
– Voice is the relationship with your reader, what comes through about you through your writing. How you present yourself to your readers. Voice is what makes a writer distinctive
– Tone is the effect of your message on your reader (do you think your readers feel informed, pleased, motivated, bored, patronised, intimidated or irritated by your writing?)
– Style is the result of the choices you make at the word level, the sentence level and beyond at the paragraph level
“The infallible test of a perfect style is its untranslatableness into words of the same language without injury to it’s meaning “ Coleridge
Word choice
– Be sure to choose your words carefully
– Understand the difference between denotation (dictionary definition) and connotation (associations that a word conjures up)
– Acquire a rich and ample vocabulary
– Use figures of speech such as metaphors and similes :- metaphors and similes create ‘little explosions of fiction’ James Wood “How Fiction Works”
– Be aware of the pro’s and con’s of adjectives and adverbs ( the apostrophication was the lecturers, not mine)
– Don’t use a foreign phrase that readers may not know, but aim for Le Mot Juste (the intensely right word)
Add this site to the Writing Journal – Daily Writing Tips http://www.dailywritingtips.com/
– Be aware of WayneSpeak and Strine ( for example Expresso for Espresso, haitch instead of aitch)
– English is tricky, even though these words end in O.U.G.H they differ in pronunciation enough, although, plough, through, hiccough
– AVOID FILLERS !!! eg:- you know, like, actually etc etc

Lecture 1.2
“Writing Standard English”

This lecture introduces two key concepts
DESCRIPTIVISM and PRESCRIPTIVISM

– Standard English – the language of prestige and power in much of the world
– Standard English is the set of standards that professional experts have agreed upon
– Is an elastic term
There are two tribes of Grammarian
1. Descriptivists: describe how language is used and how it changes
2. Prescriptivists: prescribe how language ought to be used
Language scholars have argued that humans find meaning in the world by exploring it through their own language. When people write about something they understand and learn it better – the so-called writing/thinking/learning connection

A writing journal will ……..
– Allow you to practice your writing
– Help you to experiment with different styles
– Help you to develop a set of materials
– Help you to share ideas

Lecture 1.1

What is Grammar And Why Does It Matter?

– “The Study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed
– In the middle Ages covered the whole of Arts and Letters
– Comes from the Greek word – GRAMMATIKOS : Of Letters from which the word ‘Glamour’ is also derived
– The narrowing of the term to mean The Rules Of Language came in the 17th Century and by the 19th Century Glamour and Grammar were split asunder and each went their separate ways
Defining Terms
– Grammar is the underlying system of rules of a language
– Syntax is the arrangement and inter-relations among words in a sentence
Traditional Parts Of Speech = “ Word Classes”

Q. Why bother with strict and rigid grammar?
A. If people don’t notice when we get it wrong they won’t mind if we get it right. And if we do get it right we’ll please the few who know and care about these things so everyone will be happy.
“ It’s cruel not to teach grammar to children” Dot Wordsworth (journalist)
“If you don’t know grammar you can’t write English” Harry Mount
“Know your grammar and you can produce every kind of fantastic verbal construction and – this is the crucial bit, be understood” Harry Mount (again)
“ Ya gotta know all the rules and structures inside out before you start to break them and make truly great music” Charlie Mingus

The basis of grammatical awareness is sentence sense and this comes from reading
Poor writers cannot or do not read their own writing accurately, they lack a readers perception.