On the Writing of English

by Unknown

Seldom does one come across a work as simple yet immensely helpful as On the Writing of English by George Townsend Warner. Written with an earnest appeal to students of the English language, Warner provides the pillars of essay writing in the most easy to understand manner in this book. In the introduction itself he sets the tone for the subsequent pages with a heartfelt appeal to all for following the basic tenets of writing properly.
On the Writing of English is divided into multiple chapters, each dealing with a particular aspect of creating the perfect essay. The book contains notes on style of writing, gathering material, proper grammar as well as sentence construction among many other issues that go into writing well. Warner breaks up the art of essay writing into various sections and deals with each one at a time. These include the pointers to keep in mind while developing the essay, the pitfalls to be wary of as well as merits and the art of choosing the right phrases and words for optimum impact. The work also contains an appendix of different writing styles as templates for readers to follow.
On the Writing of English is useful to the general reader as much as it is to students of the language. It contains within it certain directives as well as well thought out and highly intuitive interventions to improve the quality of prose. Warner's ability to highlight the many pitfalls and common traps of writing an essay are particularly enlightening. This title is a worthy reference handbook for anyone who wishes to improve their writing abilities.
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2008

About the author

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Reviews

[Thomas Searcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the Writing of English, by Professor Warner would have helped me as a junior high school student in the mid-Sixties. I needed this gentleman's care and wisdom so badly since I did not see any use for training about writing--my immature mind and emotions were hindering me. Warner understands such in youth as he guides British school boys into their first essays. His mode is conversational throughout, and his calm assurance projects authority without strictness. Most teenagers would accept that approach, and it would have encouraged me.
This book is an essential read for teachers because it is a inspiring example of teaching from the heart with gentleness and care toward the pupil. All the principle rules of good writing are revealed but not listed. Instead, Warner helps the pupil understand these with examples of good and bad writing as the book flows along.
Then, in the appendix, Warner adds his comments to excerpts collected from essays by Bacon, Macaulay, Stevenson, and others. From beginning to end, Professor Warner helps pupils see the urgency of becoming able writers who do not embarrass themselves or disappoint their readers.

[Dylan Littler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains some very important basic tips that are unfortunately little known these days.

[Jeremy Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up as a curiosity from a book fair, as a relic from what seems like the early 40s. It appears a headmaster was attempting to reach all of his students at once in a time-efficient manner, so created this book to help them with essay writing.

It's actually got some good advice -- some of which is basic, but it never hurts to brush up on the fundamentals! There were also one or two things I hadn't been exposed to before.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish i had read this book earlier, many years earlier. I learnt so much in this small volume that i was surprised. His advice on writing is sound. I recommend this anyone interested in writing and to any educator who teaches it. It's a rare gem and Prof. Warner is an excellent teacher.