The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century - Softcover

Pinker, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241180023 ISBN 13: 9780241180020

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2014

Synopsis

Bad writing can't be blamed on the Internet, or on 'the kids today'. Good writing has always been hard: a performance requiring pretense, empathy, and a drive for coherence. In The Sense of Style, cognitive scientist and linguist Steven Pinker uses the latest scientific insights to bring us a style and usage guide for the 21st century. What do skilful writers know about the link between syntax and ideas? How can we overcome the Curse of Knowledge, the difficulty in imagining what it's like not to know something we do? And can we distinguish the myths and superstitions from rules that enhance clarity and grace? As Pinker shows, everyone can improve their mastery of writing and their appreciation of the art (yes, 'their').

About this title

Review:

Pinker's scholarship is astounding . . . flawless . . . masterful (The Times)

Words can hardly do justice to the superlative range and liveliness of Pinker's investigations (Independent)

He writes like an angel (Economist)

About the Author:

Steven Pinker is one of the world's most influential thinkers and writers on the human condition. His popular and highly praised books include The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, The Stuff of Thought, The Blank Slate, How the Mind Works, and The Language Instinct. The recipient of several major awards for his teaching, books, and scientific research, Pinker is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He also writes frequently for The New York Times, the Guardian and other publications. He has been named Humanist of the Year, Prospect magazine's "The World's Top 100 Public Intellectuals," Foreign Policy's "100 Global Thinkers," and Time magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People in the World Today."

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0241180023
• ISBN 13: 9780241180020
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368