The Glamour Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English

Roy Peter Clark

Sep 2010 · Ascent Audio · Narrated by Roy Peter Clark

About this audiobook

early in the history of english, glamour ad grammar were the same word, linked to enchantment and magical spells. Now grammar brings to mind language bullies and bored-out-of-their-skulls students. Roy Peter Clark, one of America's most influential writing teachers, wants to change that by putting the glamour back into grammar. Whether you are composing a novel, a memo, an e-mail, or a blog post, you can immediately apply any of the lessons Clark lays out in fifty short chapters. Covering everything from the parts of speech to why effective writers prefer concrete nouns and active verbs, Clark teaches you how to use periods, commas, and semicolons to their fullest advantage; befriend the lively verb to be; avoid “hyper-grammar”; properly place those tricky modifiers; and harness other secrets of powerful prose. Above all, he teaches you how to master grammar to perfect your use of English, to hone meaning, and to charm through your writing. In a world where we communicate more and more through emails and text messages, how you use language matters-even in 140 characters. The Glamour of Grammar prepares you top captivate with every word.

About the author

Roy Peter Clark was born in 1948 in New York City and raised on Long Island. He graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island with a degree in English and earned a PhD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He was hired by St. Petersburg Times in 1977 to become a writing coach. He worked with the American Society of Newspaper Editors to improve newspaper writing nationwide. He was soon elected a distinguished service member which was a rare honor for a journalist who has never edited a newspaper. He has nurtured Pulitzer Prize winning writers such as Thomas French and Diana Sugg. He has worked full-time at The Poynter Institute starting in 1979 as director of the writing center, dean of the faculty, senior scholar and vice president. He has authored or edited several books on journalism and writing such as: Free to Write: A Journalist Teaches Young Writers; Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together Across Media Platforms and Glamour of Grammar.