Writing with clarity and style: a guide to rhetorical devices for contemporary writers

by Robert A. Harris

First Published in 2017. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an Informa company.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Stephen Heiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were to tell you that this is not just the best book on writing I've read this year, but one of the best I've ever read, you might, with inside knowledge, rightfully demand: "Well, then why did it take you 12 months to make it through 200 pages?"

Good question. I have good answers.

Firstly, it's written like a textbook, and since my college days I naturally drag my feet when it comes to reading textbooks, but since this was required for a writing class I was taking, I didn't have any choice and let my dissatisfaction show (and my class progress slow) by dragging it out as long as possible. Only my desire to complete the course before 2021 ended ensured that I finished it.

This edition is printed in workbook size, making it viscerally a textbook read. You felt like you were going to class every time you cracked it. Once again, not an incentive when you're taking a class in your off hours anyhow.

The book details 60 types of rhetorical devices, many of which you may instinctively use as a seasoned writer but you may not know the names of or the various alternative forms in which the devices can be deployed for even more effectiveness. Some of the devices you have never heard of (and would never have invented in the most tortured situation — antimetabole, I rest my case) but are dazzled by their fun and effective manipulation of the language to their chosen ends.

And yet.

Harris writes so well that despite the shape and size of the book, the textbook-like manner of its presentation, and the unending slog through the same chapter structure 16 times, you find yourself amused, educated, and ready to read it through once again as soon as you're done.

But I'll leave that for 2022. :-)

[kirkesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written and arranged in a simple and direct manner, this is a hugely beneficial reference book for any sort of writing. It details 60 types of rhetorical devices, how to use them, numerous examples of each, and brief exercises to ensure correct identification of them. All done with a sublime panache.

Simple, direct, and informative. Much like the title states.

Kinda tautological, eh?

[Eugenio Fouz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing with clarity and style, Robert A. Harris
Asyndethon, polysyndeton, irony, metaphor, pun, syllepsis and what more? My favourite rhetorical devices: oxymoron and hyperbaton. After the knowledge of this manual, I can´t help mentioning anthimeria which consists of playing a part in speech as a different character, that is, "I can keyboard that article this afternoon" (Harris, R. A. op.cit, page 154). A noun used as a verb. Immediately the word email came to my mind: 'email me before 6 this evening'.

[Levi Borba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous contemporaneous manual of writing and style. The lessons in those pages are beyond the trivial tips of other similar books. Instead, the author sources illustrious writers across history, to the point of using examples from Latin and Greek thinkers like Demetrius, Aristotle or Cicero.

[Euterpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even as an avid library advocate, this is one of the few books I would recommend purchasing a physical edition of. It will serve as a constant companion to your creative process and will enrich your writing in every domain.

[Valerie Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource on writing. Provides 16 Style Checks to reinforce key concepts. This text makes a phenomenal reference and activity book for mastering a WIDE variety of stylistic tools. I was introduced to this book as a requirement for a graduate writing course, but have since recommended it to friends interested in improving their writing skills as well.

If only the rhetorical devices had less complicated names and almost 25% didn't start with an A, it would be perfect. Since that is out of the quite capable author's hands, FIVE STARS.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a textbook this wasn't too bad. I do like that they had so many examples. Truthfully, this was the easier of the two textbooks for my Advanced Composition class. While I do hate some of the stylistic devices in it (some of my classmates and I cry inside at the thought of using some of these in life), it has been a beneficial book with exercises that force me out of my comfort zone.

Conclusion
Writing major or just interested in learning some new ways to impress a teacher? Read this book.

[Darlene Bocek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text is hard to find, but is wonderful overview of rhetorical devices, including short quizzes. I have used this in my homeschool, purchasing a copy for each child. I think Robert Harris does an amazing job of showing the device, sorting the different devices, and using examples from literature and the Bible to illustrate the usage. Based on this book and its exercises, I have made several Jeopardy-style games to quiz my middle school/high school students on usage of rhetoric. Perhaps there are other texts out there, but this one is esthetically more pleasing to read and use than others I have seen. Robert Harris also has an online Handbook that can be used in tandem with this: http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm