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claytell's review
5.0
I am a word person. you would not expect a book about the English style would be all that engaging. But this book was great. The author had so much humour, and I learned so much. I hope that this review is Dreyer-worthy. Let's see if I learned anything.
amith_hiremath's review
5.0
This is more an impression of the book and not a review since I am not an expert on style and clarity in English, but an aspiring Writer and Copyeditor. Dreyer’s English is as fun and entertaining as it is knowledgeable. It deals with language, clarity, style and grammar. While editing can be a subjective job, the principles of editing remain the same i.e., to ensure written content is as clear and effective as possible. Grammar, as most of us have learned, has clear rules. But not every rule is a hard and fast rule. Editing is understanding where grammar really makes sense and where it doesn’t, at times even finding a middle ground. This book can get pretty technical. Hence, revising your basic grammar or keeping a grammar book handy while you read is highly recommended. A copyeditor is like a pathmaker between two worlds. Firstly, the world where the writer is usually engrossed in bringing his vision into words. Secondly, the world where the reader exists. The goal is to ensure that whatever world the writer is trying to portray through his work is consistent, clear and as accessible for a reader as possible. It can start from looking at every single line and analyzing what combination of words works better, to making sentences effective, to ensuring they sound grammatically right and untying the convoluted sentences, to looking at logical fallacies, to analyzing inconsistencies in the story arc and character arcs, everything that has to do with getting rid of the noise and enhancing the writing for what it is. These edits are merely suggestions. It is the Writer's call at the end of the day. The author takes most of our common issues and offers his honest yet humorous take on them. This book is a must-read if you’re a Writer, Editor, Copyeditor, Proofreader or a combination of these. It helps you understand how you can declutter your writing. Moreover, think about language in a way you might have never thought.
inig039's review
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I learned so much on how to write good prose! And Breyer’s hilarious delivery filled with silly anecdotes makes the advice - which was tedious at times - easier to digest. However, the chapter consisting of pronouns he often saw misspelled I could do without. Overall: Worth a read!
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/review-1464-dreyers-english-an-utterly-correct-guide-to-clarity-and-style/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020/01/23/review-1464-dreyers-english-an-utterly-correct-guide-to-clarity-and-style/
stevenyenzer's review
3.0
Plenty of good writing about writing here, but I could have done without the never-ending list of easily confused words, which was obviously more of an avenue for workmanlike grammar jokes than a useful resource.