First You Write a Sentence.

Nov 8, 2024 3:43 AM

Author:Joe Moran,Roy McMillan

Penguin presents the audiobook edition if First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran, read by Roy McMillan.

The sentence is the common ground where every writer walks. A poet writes in sentences, but so does the unsung author who came up with Items trapped in doors cause delays. A good sentence can be written (and read) by anyone if we simply give it the gift of our time, and it is as close as most of us will get to making something truly beautiful.

Enter acclaimed author Professor Joe Moran. Using minimal technical terms, First You Write a Sentence is his unpedantic but authoritative explanation of how the most ordinary words can be turned into verbal constellations of extraordinary grace. Using sources ranging from the Bible and Shakespeare to George Orwell and Maggie Nelson, and scientific studies of what can best fire the reader's mind, he shows how we can all write in a way that is clear, compelling and alive.

Whether dealing with finding the ideal word, building a sentence or constructing a paragraph, First You Write a Sentence informs by light example: much richer than a style guide, it can be read not just for instruction but for pleasure and delight. And along the way it shows how good writing can help us notice the world, make ourselves known to others and live more meaningful lives. It's an elegant gem in praise of the English sentence.

A style guide by stealth - how anyone can write well (and can enjoy good writing)

'Moran is a past master at producing fine, accessible non-fiction.' - Helen Davies, Sunday Times

'Joe Moran has a genius for turning the prosaic poetic' - Peter Hennessy

Reviews

Joe Moran has a genius for turning the prosaic poetic

—— Peter Hennessy

Thoughtful reflections on how to write well

—— John Mullan , Guardian Review

Joe Moran is the most perceptive and original observer of British life that we have

—— Matthew Engel

Moran has fast become Britain's foremost explorer and explainer of the disregarded

—— Juliet Gardiner, author of 'Wartime: Britain 1939-1945'

Moran is a wonderful, witty writer, and here he surpasses himself

—— Marcus Berkmann (on Shrinking Violets) , Daily Mail

Compelling . . . There's plenty in Moran's book to delight grammar and language nerds

—— Daniel Hahn , The Spectator

Humane and witty . . . as a primer in generous and lively writing, First You Write a Sentence is blithe and convincing

—— Brian Dillon , New York Times

Exquisite...Moran's own sentences are so deliciously epigrammatic that I considered giving up chocolate in favour of re-reading his book...He is more mentor than instructor

—— Irina Dumitrescu , TLS

Writing about writing is hard; writing about Chinese writing in English is devilish. Strokes, logographs, ideographs - even the basic terminology can cloud the mind like a calligraphy brush loaded with too much ink. Jing Tsu's brilliant solution is to focus on characters - not the ones written from left to right, top to bottom, but the actual living, breathing, thinking individuals who, since the start of the twentieth century, did everything they could to adapt the Chinese language and writing system to the modern world. In Kingdom of Characters, Tsu introduces us to a cast of unforgettable figures: the wanted fugitive who pushes for Mandarin as China's national tongue; the engineer and bamboo expert who develops a Chinese typewriter; the railway administrator who tries to figure out how to send telegrams in a language without an alphabet. Along the way, Tsu tells an essential story of modern China: a country at once transformed and yet deeply traditional

—— Peter Hessler

Kingdom of Characters is an eye-opener. It approaches a central topic in modern and contemporary Chinese culture through a unique perspective, combining scholarship with vivid historical narrative. Jing Tsu wears her erudition lightly and gives us a fascinating and moving story. It shows the passionate struggle of generations of pioneers, who tried to find ways of reshaping and preserving the Chinese written script. It's a story of desperate strife, unflagging dedication, and ultimately, triumph

—— Ha Jin

Kingdom of Characters is a deeply engaging and revealing narrative of the Chinese language in modern times: its graphic and phonetic transformations, conceptual debates, technological innovations, and political contentions. Jin Tsu has brought together a series of key moments concerning Chinese modernity, from the first Chinese typewriter to the digital Sinosphere, from the script reform to the voice revolution. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this book is indispensable for anyone interested in the sound and script of modern China

—— Professor David Wang, Harvard University

Interesting and very readable

—— Peter Gordon , Asian Review of Books

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