Points out the need for audience consideration in technical writing. Discusses how memory divides information into chunks for processing, and how this affects the readability of technical text. (HTH)

Discusses the meaning of the term "literature," surveying various definitions, and concentrating on the elements of "style" and "message". (AM)

Argues for including some literary style in technical writing. Examines literary devices that can be used in technical writing, such as metaphor, simile, climax, and alliteration, and provides guidelines for their effective use in professional communication. (HTH)

Describes how a "style analysis" sheet may be used in helping students to develop a more concrete and vigorous prose style. (DD)

Describes rewriting examples of good writing into "ordinary" writing, to identify what elements of style made the original version so effective. (HTH)

Encourages the study of critical and textual variations in order to raise students' awareness of how cultural and literary assumptions influence their reading and to show students how their understanding of a work can be altered by subtle variations. (DD)

Presents an appreciation of "Charlotte's Web," a children's literary classic which portrays clearly and simply the themes of love, death, friendship, and salvation. Discusses E.B. White's life and background, his attention to writing style, and the beginnings of "Charlotte's Web." Provides a capsule of classic elements in the…

Explores the use of metaphor and personification in the "classics" of scientific and technical writing, and the current resistance to creativity in scientific writing. Suggests familiarizing students with the role of metaphor in scientific creativity. (HTH)

Discusses ways to insure that the current emphasis on grammar, concrete structure, and explicit simplicity do not edge out the development of writing that is forceful and engaging. (FL)

Discusses a form of poetry written for two voices--two side-by-side columns, each read by a different voice. Mentions precedents of this form in art, music, and poetry. Presents examples of fourth grade, high school, and university students' poems written in this form. (RS)

The personal comments of literary naturalist, John Burroughs, whose 60-year writing career began in the 1860s, can guide writing teachers today. Recommended techniques include literary walks, a fermentation process between contact with nature and writing about it, emphasis on clarity and truth, and keeping a journal. (NEC)

Considers the reasons for making the rhetorical choices that constitute a writer's "voice." Examines teaching models that help students learn how to influence meaning through the rhetorical choices they make. (RL)

Reports on a "summing up" assignment at the end of a course on the fiction of J. D. Salinger. Notes the way students used parodies to display their knowledge of Salinger's style and recurrent themes. Offers one student-written parody as an example. (RL)

Intended for secondary teachers and student writers but useful for anyone interested in poetic forms, this book defines 74 basic poetic forms, summarizes their histories, quotes examples from noted poets, and offers professional tricks of the trade on how to use each form. The book covers the following poetic forms: abstract poem, acrostic,…

Discusses an approach to teaching French language and civilization by examining the creation of news events from otherwise insignificant news items. Recent headlines and news articles serve as illustrations. (MSE)