Customer Reviews:
Excellent text.......2007-05-19
I purchased this text because I am trying to redirect my career. I have a lot of marketing and public relations in my background, but technical writing is a new area. I found the text easy to read, very informative, and exceptionally helpful. The only reason I gave it four instead of five stars is that it is weighted for web writers. Writing for the web is not a function of the job I am interviewing for, so that information, while interesting, was not particularly helpful for me.
Enshrines mechanics of mediocre technical writing.......2007-04-28
This book is a mixed bag at best, advocating practices that help keep today's technical writing mired in mediocrity. For example: always use the 2nd person; and for heaven's sake don't try to explain anything to people, just tell them what to do! Much of this reads like tips for helping non-writers get by as technical writers, and for making technical writing into a kind of non-writing.
For devotees of the Jackson Pollock school of tech writing (throw lots of vetted statements at the page till they stick) or of the everything-is-a-numbered-list technique, there's probably much that's heartening in this glossy example of bad desktop publishing. (Jeesh, who decreed that tech writers can't learn typography and basic functional layout, or maybe hire someone that does?)
This book is probably ok for anyone writing product assembly manuals, or documenting GUI interfaces (press this, select that... yup second person actually works pretty well there). But for software? Or for anyone struggling to articulate complex ideas or just write a reasonably compact and self-contained conceptual overview (MIA from most tech writing today), there isn't much help here. Maybe it's time we technical writers focused more on good writing per se, on the things that good technical writing shares with effective prose (clarity, precision, range of useful styles, fiction (point of view) or even poetry (compression, effective use of embedded metaphor).
So, yeah, it turns out there're so many other rich directions and ideas for tech writers to pursue. For starters, there're the old standbys: Strunk and White or Wm Zinsser's Writing Well. And any of the wonderful books on prose style by Richard Lanham or perhaps Mark Turner's Clear and Simple as the Truth (which, suprisingly enough, addresses technical writing directly, albeit briefly, offering a number of classical examples). Also just about any of Edward Tufte's books, and by the way, did you catch his 2004 interview in Technical Communications Quarterly? Posted (free) on ET's website. I think it even mentions a time when he consulted with IBM about their tech writing and tried to get them to stop using the second person, and, well...
To master technical writing.......2007-02-12
I have been a technical writer for years. This book has made me re-think how I write technical articles. It is excellent. It has clear, concise instruction and examples. If you are planning to learn more about how to create technical writing this is the book.
Best Book I've Found on the Subject!.......2005-11-01
I've been developing retail software professionally for over 15 years and have been waiting for a book like this one. When I finally discovered the book, I was a little skeptic -- that is until I received the book.
If you are writing help, or any other technical documentation, this *is* the book for you. Coverage of the subject is just right. It's not too overloaded and it's not to light on the subject either.
The only thing missing that I wish they had was recommended templates for different types of documentation. If this book had a CD with samples, it would be worth 2 or 3 times the amount I paid for it.
I highly recommend this book.
One of the most complete writing style guides available.......2004-09-01
When I first started reading this book, I was quite impressed at the amount of detail provided in it. Although any style guide will provide a technical writer with most of the information needed to write effective manuals, this book goes into more detail about the "art" of technical writing than any other book I've read.
There is truly a wealth of excellent information in this book. The authors have covered virtually every aspect of writing technical manuals and also for online material, making this an excellent guide to refer to anytime a writing question comes up. From the beginning chapter (Quality technical information), through chapters on Accuracy, Completeness, Clarity, Style, Organization, and Retrievability (to name a few), you can clearly see this book's attention to detail. The book's last chapter (Reviewing, testing, and evaluating technical information) offers tips on doing review cycles, who to involve in them, usability tests, and evaluating the information contained in the manual.
I especially liked the chapter on Retrievability. As the book points out, information doesn't do the reader any good if there isn't a logical way to find it. This chapter points out ways to "facilitate" navigation, by providing a complete index, the proper level of detail in the Table of Contents, even helpful links (for online material).
Another excellent chapter was the one on Style, although clearly each chapter in this book stands out on its own for providing detailed information about the chapter topic.
Another nice feature of this book is that the beginning of each chapter lists the main points (or topics) to be covered, and then summarizes them at the chapter's end. It serves as an excellent reminder of these points and one that can be referred back to.
I found this book to be an excellent reference and recommend it to any technical writer, regardless of their experience level.
Book Description
THINKING FOR YOURSELF: DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THROUGH READING AND WRITING offers a unique integration of composition, reading, and critical thinking. As you complete the book's writing assignments, you'll see how your writing reflects your thinking and how self-directed improvement in thinking also improves writing. The book offers step-by-step nstruction, humor, cartoons, Internet research exercises, and up-to-date social and political examples.
Customer Reviews:
THINKING FOR YOURSELF... THE TEXTBOOK.......2005-02-15
I always find it amazing and ironic that there are textbooks teaching you how to think for yourself.
A bit ironic, don't you think?
The Operative Word is "developing" Thinking Skills.......2000-12-14
An excellent book that covers such diverse subjects as critical thinking, observation skills, word usage, communication, facts and reality, inferences, assumptions, opinions, viewpoints, arguments, fallacies, inductive and deductive reasoning, research skills and problem solving. And within each subject is a very well defined and easily understood definition of that subject along with examples of each. The chapter quiz found at the end of each chapter helps to ingrain and reinforce the lesson. The book is insightful and well written. Done with great skill as one is actually able to understand the premise and meaning of each topic/lesson.
Book Description
Help your students develop an aural sense of good expository writing. Read a short essay to your class, then teach the content of writing with the help of teaching notes and an expository primer. Includes 18 writing samples for different grade levels: magazine articles, letters to the editor, poems, essays and process descriptions. A wonderful enhancement to your writing process workshop. By the author of Building a Writing Community and Teaching the Youngest Writers.
Customer Reviews:
Improving Expository Writing by Using Models.......2007-09-25
Students generally prefer writing narration (stories) to writing exposition (explanation). Not surprisingly, they also perform better when writing narration as opposed to exposition. In her foreword to _Listen to This: Developing an Ear for Expository_ author Marcia S. Freeman suggests that if we read well-written expository pieces to students and help them listen for the characteristics and techniques that make those pieces successful, students will develop an ear for the genre and improve their expository skills dramatically.
_Listen to This_ is helpful for teachers and students alike. It comprises "An Expository Writing Primer" plus eighteen read-aloud samples in various expository and persuasive genres. The primer discusses such "target skills" as function, organization, focus, clarity, beginnings, endings, and transitions. Freeman gets practical and specific, giving examples of various organizational schemes, different kinds of supporting details, strategies to make writing lively, etc.
Each of the read-aloud samples is followed by a brief analysis, calling attention to strategies that contribute to the passage's success. The samples included in _Listen to This_ are intended only as a beginning, however. Freeman provides lists of books and periodicals where educators (grades 4-12) can find an endless supply of expository samples. Three appendices provide tips and additional organizational strategies.
While Freeman directs her book toward educators, her explanations are short enough and clear enough that I would not hesitate to put this book directly into the hands of students (4th grade and older).
I spent hours looking for a book that models expository writing for middle school students. _Listen to This_, which greatly exceeds my expectations, made the search worthwhile.
Listen to This is a Fabulous Classroom Addition.......2007-01-12
Listen to This: Developing and Ear for Expository by Marcia S. Freeman provides teachers and students with many approaches to reading and writing expository text. From creating dynamic introductions and conclusions to expanding support and effectively organizing text, this little book provides short lessons that enhance the teaching of writing at most grade levels. I used the book extensively in an 8th grade writing workshop. Now that I'm retired from the classroom, I use it to train teachers of writing.
Developing an Ear for Expository.......2005-09-09
This is a great book for teachers of all grade levels. Many times, teaching resources dealing with reading and writing are too elementary for middle and high school teachers to use. This book gave great examples and strategies for teachers to use with their students of all grade levels. I am a high school teacher and found this book exceptional.
Mini writer's course.......2003-08-05
This book should be the textbook for "Teaching Writing" the course I wish I'd had in college. I only wish I could have found this book when I first started teaching in the primary grades. This book sums up the skills a teacher should include in teaching writing. Middle and high school teachers will find this book very appropriate for their students, too.
This book will even be helpful to me in my writing for graduate work. I feel like I finally have a grasp on the "whole picture" of writing. Other books by this author are equally good. I've read "Teaching the Youngest Writers," which is especially good for kindergarten and first grade teachers.
Please do "Listen to This".......2001-09-01
Exact and precise. The best short book on how to teach writing I've seen. I'm a literacy teacher and I ordered a copy for all 50 of my classroom and special teachers.
Book Description
DEVELOPING READING VERSATILITY, TENTH EDITION, offers students a comprehensive skills-strategies approach to reading that takes them from basic vocabulary development all the way through critical comprehension skills. The text offers a range of readings and exercises designed to help students meet any academic challenge and maximize both their efficiency and effectiveness as readers and students. From the development of study skills to using the Internet effectively to learning to evaluate textbook-style readings, DEVELOPING READING VERSATILITY offers students all the tools they need-as well as practice using them-to become successful college students.
Customer Reviews:
Loved it but............2001-06-30
For four years now I have used the first two sections of the book (literal and critical comprehension) to teach college prep Reading Development classes and the last section (affective) comprehension for the AA degree students. It was a very useful text and I particularly enjoyed the affective comprehension part. "Story of An Hour", "Salvation" "The Somebody" and "Indian Education" were the best stories for me and for the students. I enjoyed the "A & P" and the Whore of Mensa found in the older edition as well.
I found it fell short of a few things. Firstly the poems were not very interesting. Secondly I would have liked more cartoons and advertisements in the affective comprehension section. The text seems unbalanced, too much in section 1 and not enough in section 3. Finally I would have liked to see more challenging questions especially in the affective comprehension section.
Loved the text but for me some improvements need to be made to make it a truly 5 star text.
Book Description
Developing Proofreading and Editing Skills, 5/e by Camp provides instruction and applications designed to sharpen skills in detecting and correcting errors in written communications including memos, letters, reports, email messages, databases, presentation slides, advertisements, and spreadsheets. The material progresses from easy-to-recognize errors to those more difficult to spot, allowing students to build confidence and skill. Highlights of the 5th edition include a discussion of voice-recognition technology and proofreading and editing, end-of-chapter text applications with two applications in each chapter available on CD-ROM, and a series of seven review modules offering challenging proofreading practice.
Customer Reviews:
Well-done and easy to understand.......2004-05-10
If anyone wants a book that is easy to understand when learning to proofread, it's definitely this one. I loved it and have made it a part of my professional library. The author is very complete and thorough without being too redundant or superflous. I had bought another proofreading book through Amazon.com which was horrible, stuffy, and boring. Even though this book was a little more expensive, it was well worth the extra cost.
Book Description
Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing Winning Proposals (Second Edition) walks you through the major phases of grant development—from finding potential funds to preparing successful proposals. In this comprehensive book, author Patrick W. Miller, Ph.D. shares tips and tricks of grant writing and budget development while providing concise guidelines, ideas, and techniques for preparing grant applications.
The book includes:
- 8 chapters with clear methods for developing grant applications
- 270 pages with more than 75 illustrations and examples
- 130 review questions and answers to stimulate learning
- 13 exercises on proposal writing and budget development
- 95 glossary terms for quick reference
- 70 up-to-date resources, including Web sites
The intent of this book is to help you win competitive grants. If you are seeking private and foundation funds, you will also find the techniques in this book useful.
Customer Reviews:
Good Start for Grant Writing.......2007-07-23
Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing Winning Proposals is easy to follow. It provides samples of each section required in most proposals. It offers suggestions and key points as well as commonly used vocabulary.
Comprehensive Guide to Writing Winning Grant Proposals.......2003-07-01
Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing Winning Proposals, is a comprehensive guide to writing winning grant proposals. It takes the reader through the entire grant process, including researching funding sources, steps to develop a proposal before and after the RFP is released, writing and editing, preparing budgets, reproducing and delivering proposals, and postsubmission activities. It prepares the grant writer not only to write good proposals, it instructs how to write winning proposals. It is easy to read and includes charts, graphs, samples, and review questions and exercises.I highly recommend this book to anyone aspriring to win large federal grants, but it can be useful to those seeking smaller State or private grants as well.
Grant Writing Strategies.......2002-11-09
Patrick W. Miller indeed provides strategies for winning grants in his second edition entitled, "Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing Winning Proposals." Throughout this easy to read book are limitless well-written definitions and descriptions, often in a sample format. Well thought out appendices and glossary of terms further strengthen the book.
The exercises at the end of each chapter are excellent for the beginner, as well as a wonderful review for those with experience. Within the exercises, the reader has opportunities to locate, review, and analyze solicitations; writing activities before and after call for proposals; writing and editing of narrative; budget spreadsheets; and a simulated proposal process with examples. The sample exhibits throughout the book present realistic directions so that even the most timid grant writer could approach the process with confidence.
Few details are left out of this book. For example, on page 73, the author not only emphasizes the various skills necessary to write a narrative, but he also includes the importance of "a place to write, tools for writing, time to write and a comfortable atmosphere away from distractions." It is the details that make it possible for this book to be an individual self-help course or for classroom use. If I were teaching a grant development class to community college instructors or non-profits, this book could be utilized for both settings.
Federal grants can be confusing and often present themselves as a maze. Patrick W. Miller, PhD., eliminates the confusion through a thorough exploration of each topic area. Particularly helpful are the explanations of the various federal agencies that offer solicitations and the author has included details of websites and how to navigate those websites.
In the preface, Patrick W. Miller, PhD., indicates that the book is designed "to walk funding seekers through the major phases of grant development." This is a true statement along with a variety of ideas and techniques that he presents to assist individuals and groups with developing a grant proposal. "Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing Winning Proposals" is an excellent resource and would serve multiple purposes for individuals and institutions that purchase the book.
Linda Narum, MS, Grants Development Specialist, North Dakota State University Extension Service, Fargo, ND, and North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, ND.
Grant Writing Strategies.......2002-10-28
Miller's second edition systematically covers the entire competitive grant writing process from identifying funding sources to the planning that organizations must undertake before making applications to the writing of actual proposals to following up after submissions. He goes beyond the mechanics in each section, providing advice as to key factors to be considered at each stage of the process.
Numerous exhibits will help the reader, particularly the new grant writer, in planning and preparing applications. For example, a planning chapter includes exhibits that advise how to structure requests for information from funding sources and how to obtain copies of previous winning proposals. Other chapters provide numerous samples and explanations of the various parts of a grant proposal, with an entire chapter devoted to budget preparation.
The authur includes a glossary, list of additional resources, and exercises with each chapter. The exercise solutions illustrate good planning practices and model proposal outlines, cover letters, and proposals. Individuals responsible for grant writing may find this a good text for workshops held for administrators and professionals within their organizations.
Essential Tool For Successful Grantwriting.......2002-10-23
As an educator, I appreciated the concise format Dr. Miller used in his explanation of the complex process of grant writing. The organization of the book and detailed explanations of the phases involved in proposal writing helped the reader gain a clear understanding of the grant writing process. Especially useful were the numerous exhibits used to illustrate sample letters, graphs, flowcharts, budgets, etc. involved in the grant writing process.
The chapter reviews and practice activities actively engaged the reader into a guided practice of required components at each phase. The numerous tips and strategies from an experienced grant writer will help this inexperienced educator procur funds for my school district. Many thanks, Dr. Miller!
Book Description
Successful research requires effective and thorough preparation. In this expanded and updated
Second Edition of
Developing Effective Research Proposals, author Keith F. Punch offers an indispensable guide to the issues involved in proposal development and in presenting a well-considered plan for the execution of research.
Dealing with both qualitative and quantitative approaches to empirical research across the social sciences,
Developing Effective Research Proposals, Second Edition comprehensively covers the topics and concerns relevant to the subject and is organized around three central themes: What is a research proposal, who reads proposals and why; How can we go about developing a proposal?; and What might a finished proposal look like?
New to the Second Edition:
- Expanded sections covering research strategy, research planning, and academic writing
- Examples of successful research proposals from across the social science disciplines
- A more comprehensive discussion of ethics
- A brand new glossary and chapter summaries
Developing Effective Research Proposals, Second Edition will be welcomed by all those preparing or evaluating research proposals, and will be invaluable across all areas of social science, both basic and applied, and for students undertaking quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies.
Book Description
This highly regarded text helps developmental writing students strengthen their writing skills and understand some of the stylistic choices available to them in written English. Simply put, sentence combining involves putting short, choppy sentences together to make more interesting, readable ones. In the process, students learn the importance of sentence variety in improving syntax. Students are able to explore a variety of ways to say something in writing and learn that there is not a single "right" way to express their point. SENTENCE COMBINING features an accessible and humorous writing style, along with innovative and thoroughly tested exercises which not only allow students to flex their creative muscles, but also offer them insights into current topics and issues. New to this edition are two end-of-text appendices on sentence combining, the writing process and sentence and paragraph strategies.
Customer Reviews:
amazon never delivered!.......2007-09-24
This is a great book although, amazon never delivered. I had ordered this book 2 weeks before school(along with 2 other books for school), it never came. Amazon said that i have an "undeliverable" address, but when i ordered it from ebay i got it in 3 dAys! Then i had to wait forever for a refund!
The most overpriced book I have ever seen!.......2007-09-21
Sentence Combining Third Edition is the most overpriced book I have ever seen! The price of text books, or any book commonly used in college class rooms, are overpriced in my opinion and this is admittedly a pet peeve of mine, but this book is the worst! I was distraught about the price when I first saw it but didn't think too much about it since it is, I thought, a text book. After I bought it and started using it I became incredibly upset about the price. It is arguably not a text book it is just a collection of short stories chopped up into short, single line sentences that students are suppose to combine into reasonable length sentences. The idea is fine and the theory is probably a good one (though incredibly boring to do in my opinion) but this is the type of book that would serve perfectly well, better in my opinion, on inexpensive paper with an inexpensive binding. It would serve much better if it were made and sold inexpensively enough to not feel bad about marking up and highlighting right in the book; something I wouldn't think of doing in a $30 book of only 235 pages. The one good thing about this book is that it has finally gotten me to actually speaking out and, hopefully doing something about the ridiculous price of text books changed students who can little afford to bear the financial burden of keeping text book publishers profits high. On top of that the smallest possible amount of change is made practically every year and the new edition does nothing except make all previous editions outdated so you can't keep your books in good condition and pass them on to younger siblings or friends. As you can tell I am upset about the amount of money a student must put out for books, but I am considerably more upset about having to put out $30 for Sentence Combining than I am about having to put out $155 for my math textbook. At least the math text is about 1000 pages and used every day. Sentence Combining is, as I mentioned, 235 pages and used less that once a week, AND we are already a third of the way through it and much less than a third of the way through the semester. OK, enough, if you can borrow it from the library or a friend I'd certainly do it. You probably won't need it more than an hour or less a week.
A Teacher's best friend.......2003-01-12
The third edition of Sentence Combining just arrived. I can't wait to get to class Monday to start my students on these exercises! William Strong wrote another book about writing development, Coaching Writing, that I purchased at a writing workshop. The discussion of sentence combining as a development technique excited my teaching, but I don't have time (or energy) to prepare sentences for use with the technique. Sentence Combining fills that slot perfectly. This activity greatly improved my student's ability to revise their writing. They were able to see that revision is a process. For some it was a true "ah ha!" moment! The techique I found in the first section of Coaching Writing is the focus of Sentence Combining A Composing Book. I can't praise these two books enough. Every English teacher at my high school has heard me praise William Strong's work, and several have adopted his strategies. You can't go wrong with this purchase.
An excellent resource for sentence composing and editing.......1998-11-22
This book is a classic now, and it should be. Research in writing instruction has demonstrated that students who work on sentence combining do improve as writers. The book presents the student with short kernel sentences to combine into longer, more complex structures. In combining, students stretch into learning to control sentences for length, pace, and complexity. When they edit their sentences, they practice the revision skills good writers all use. I have used this book successfully with remedial and entry level college students; it would also be appropriate for high school students and advanced intermediate students. It is not a technical grammar text, and can be useful without a sophisticated knowledge of grammar. The selections are engaging and are effectively presented in order of difficulty. This would be a useful text for home schoolers at the high school level.
Book Description
Originally developed to accompany the Open University's second-level German course, this material is designed to improve the reading and writing skills of intermediate students of German. Presenting a wide range of authentic written materials, the course aims to develop reading strategies and the ability to write texts of various types (e.g. essay, articles, reviews) while imparting some understanding of important aspects of German society. Each chapter focuses on a different theme and concentrates on particular skills; all conclude with a task appropriate to the skills focus of the section.
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Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications Third Edition
Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry, Second Edition
Technical Writing 101: A Real-World Guide to Planning and Writing Technical Documentation, Second Edition
Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation
Standards for Online Communication
