Pocket Keys for Writers

Rating:
Summary: Raimes's book is logically organized
Review: I am a teacher and, in the past, have consistently used Diana Hacker's writing guides. While Hacker still rules the genre, I have recently begun using Raimes's pocket manual. The elements of her book are well organized. For example, her section dealing with style is organized around the five "C's" (Cut; Check for Action; Connect; Commit; and Choose Vivid, Appropriate, and Inclusive Words), thereby effectively grouping numerous editing tasks into just a few main concepts. Granted, a couple of these guidelines are forced into "C" words , but the clear categories are useful for students.

Also, I often find Hacker's pocket manual ineffective regarding some sentence-level difficulties such as faulty predication and general syntax problems. Raimes deals with these problems clearly, and even includes a useful category called "sentence snarls."

Raimes's book isn't as well made (in terms of paper quality and binding) as Hacker's, but I'm hoping future editions will rectify this problem. This manual has all the basics, and it's user friendly for students and instructors who like guides that operate on a "code" system (i.e., 17a for point of view, 18C for biased language, and 27b for possessive apostrophes). There's a lot of these on the market, and sometimes they all seem the same. Nevertheless, Raimes's book, as a newcomer, stands out among the rest.

Rating:
Summary: So Convenient
Review: This may seem an odd reason for rating this book so highly but here it is: At a time when executives rely so heavily on technologies (rather than on administrative assistants, secretaries, etc.) to process their communications, there is a great need for a convenient and mobile single-source of information to consult when composing whatever it is that needs to be communicated. E-mails, for example. Raimes has assembled essential information about the writing process, using sources, documenting sources, common sentence problems, punctuation and mechanics, and advice for multilingual/ESL writers. She also provides glossaries and an index. The book itself is about the size of a pocket secretary but will probably be transported within an attache case where it requires very little space. It can be taken anywhere. One of its most valuable features is the attention Raimes devotes to incorrect or ineffective sentences. The corrections point out errors, of course, but also illustrate which sentences are crisp as well as grammatically correct...and which are not. Will this little booklet tell you everything you need to know about grammar, punctuation, and usage? Of course not. But it will certainly help you to communicate your ideas with greater clarity.

If your problems with writing are REALLY severe, I suggest that you invest in the services of a local schoolteacher. Specifically, one who reminds you of that tyrant you will never forget when you were in 3rd or 4th grade. In my school, we called her "Miss Fussy." She could spot a dangling modifier, split infinitive, or a run-on sentence in the next county. Trust me, time spent with Ann Raimes will be much more enjoyable.