The Little Red Writing Book

by Brandon Royal

Overview

For Writers from All Walks of Life!

There's no need to fear the big, bad world of writing with The Little Red Writing Book in hand. Brimming with clever advice, this book offers writers, students, and business professionals a concise guide to penning strong and effective work for all occasions.

The Little Red Writing Book is designed for visual appeal and ease of use. Elegant yet practical, it will be an intriguing, inviting reference you'll turn to again and again. Author Brandon Royal offers concise explanations and nonintimidating instruction based on the four pillars of sound writing: structure, style, readability, and grammar. His discussion centers on 20 immutable writing principles as well as 30 commonly encountered rules of grammar. A wealth of examples, charts, and engaging exercises make The Little Red Writing Book an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to master those skills that will make a good writer even better.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582975214
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/06/2007
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	345,434
Product dimensions:	5.09(w) x 7.39(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Brandon Royal works as a test-prep instructor and admissions coach for the US-based Kaplan education centers in Hong Kong. He is the author of 88 Great MBA Application Tips and Strategies and Ace the GMAT.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	7
	Structure
1.	Write With a Top-Down Approach	8
2.	Break Things Down	14
3.	Use Transition Words	17
4.	Employ the Six Basic Writing Structures	22
5.	Keep Like Things Together	29
	Style
6.	Support What You Say	33
7.	Personalize Examples	45
8.	Keep It Simple	52
9.	Cut Down Long Sentences	55
10.	Eliminate Needless Words	58
11.	Gain Active Power	64
12.	Favor Verbs, Not Nouns	68
13.	Always Use Parallel Forms	71
14.	Capitalize on Sentence Variety	77
15.	Choose an Appropriate Tone	81
	Readability
16.	Capitalize on Layout and Design	86
17.	Employ Readability Tools	89
18.	Consider Using Headings and Headlines	92
19.	Keep Your Writing Gender Neutral	95
20.	Go Back and Rework Your Writing	98
	Grammar
30	Rules of Grammar	101
	Using Correct Grammatical Idioms	127
	A Few Highlights on Correct Punctuation	131
Appendix 1.	Overview of Principles and Rules	138
Appendix 2.	American vs. British English	143
Appendix 3.	Latin Abbreviations	144
Appendix 4.	Exercise Answers	145

What People are Saying About This

Ray Turner

Writing guides and handbooks fall into roughly two categories: Some are long, comprehensive, and, except for the extremely punctilious writer, unfathomable; a few are direct, useful, and ideal for serious writers who would rather write than spend hours finding the rules for semicolons. In the latter category falls Brandon Royal's brilliant The Little Red Writing Book. The articulate exposition of his twenty principles of writing and thirty rules of grammar fit neatly into 159 short, accessible pages, pages undoubtedly well thumbed by thousands of grateful writers for years. Built carefully and simply around the categories of structure, style, readability and grammar, Mr. Royal's little book will satisfy both the sit-down-and-read-all-about-it reader and the frustrated-fly-by-and-check-something-quickly writer. I recommend this wonder to all my writing students. Perhaps one day writing committees will wisely follow suit and make this a primary text for all writing courses at their schools. (Ray Turner, B.A., MA (Communications),
writing instructor and former Educational Administrator,
Corpus Christi TX, USA)

Ann Schade

If there were ever a time when this reviewer recalled with gratitude the diligence and thoroughness of her writing teachers, it was while reviewing this book. The mechanics of expository writing, which many of us take for granted, are presented in an organized, attractive package that will serve the basic writing needs of students and professionals alike. Royal provides not only numerous examples of the principles of written English but exercises as well, with answers for those wishing to master the basics. He includes tips on gender-neutral composition and on structuring written documents. Borders and flourishes enliven the text and make the book as charming as its title. This handy reference, similar to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, could only have been improved by the inclusion of a glossary and a general index. Recommended for high school, college, and writing collections. (Ann Schade,
The Library Journal of America,
Publishers Weekly's On-Line Review)

Editorial Reviews

If there were ever a time when this reviewer recalled with gratitude the diligence and thoroughness of her writing teachers, it was while reviewing this book. The mechanics of expository writing, which many of us take for granted, are presented in an organized, attractive package that will serve the basic writing needs of students and professionals alike. Kaplan instructor Royal (Ace the GMAT) provides not only numerous examples of the principles of written English but exercises as well, with answers for those wishing to master the basics. Royal also includes tips on gender-neutral composition and designing various types of business documents. Borders and flourishes enliven the text and make the book as charming as its title. This handy reference, similar to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, could only have been improved by the inclusion of a glossary and a general index. Recommended for high school, college, and writing collections. Ann Schade, Powers Memorial Lib., Palmyra, WI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal