Comments on: Dressing Up Your Casual-Wear Writing

By: Middle Zone Musings » What I Learned From 2008 - Deb Boyken

Middle Zone Musings » What I Learned From 2008 - Deb Boyken — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:02:24 +0000

[...] June: Dress Up Your Casual Wear Writing [...]

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:22:33 +0000

Deb, When I was a young lad at school, those in charge of determining the English school curriculum in my home country of Australia decided to adopt a significant shift in emphasis away from the teaching of grammar and rules and toward a focus on developing communicative ability. As a result, Australian children my age were barely taught any grammar at all, and were taught very little about the structure of the English language and how the pieces of the puzzle work together when creating a piece of written English communication. In hindsight, however, I wish that I had learned the rules of grammar. Although I am able to communicate very well, I just feel as if my command of the language has been 'dumbed down,' to a certain degree. To be sure, free expression does necessitate the breaking of rules to some degree. But in my view, it would be better to know what the rules are and break them by choice, than to live (as I do) with a great deal of ignorance about how the structure of the English language fits together to allow for effective communication. Andrew’s last blog post..Heads should not necessarily role - this time

By: It’s a Blogapalooza!

It’s a Blogapalooza! — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 03:24:01 +0000

[...] June: Dress Up Your Casual Wear Writing [...]

By: Best

Best — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:04:20 +0000

[...] of the above. I’ll pick this post, on “Dressing Up Your Casual-Wear Writing” because, like Henry Higgins, I think that sometimes HOW you say something is almost [...]

By: Punctuality Rules! » Blog Archive » Verbal Wardrobe Maintenance

Punctuality Rules! » Blog Archive » Verbal Wardrobe Maintenance — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:42:54 +0000

[...] we talked last time about the idea of casual and formal writing, as filtered through a wardrobe analogy. (A good image that I can only say I wish I’d thought [...]

By: Perpetual Beginner

Perpetual Beginner — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:47:08 +0000

Oddly, my vocabulary tended to be higher end when talking than when writing. I wasn't consciously trying to out-do anybody vocabulary-wise, I just used the words I had been brought up to use - by two very literarily-inclined parents and a cut-throat competitive school. In writing I realized the usefulness of simple, direct language far earlier than in my spoken usage. Perpetual Beginner's last blog post..Books Read: 1st Half of 2008

By: --Deb

--Deb — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:15:25 +0000

I can speak in “casual wear” but not in “shorts and flip-flops”–I think there’s a certain level of language below which I’m not willing to go, but still, it’s different than using “defenestrate” in a sentence when “tossed out the window” will work! I mean, really, if I expected all my friends to have as good a vocabularly as I do, I wouldn’t have many friends at all! (Said, honestly, without bragging. It’s just a side-effect of my massive reading obsession.)

–Deb’s last blog post..How to Prevent Equipment Failures from Ruining Your Writing

By: Perpetual Beginner

Perpetual Beginner — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:19:44 +0000

Very nice analogy. I’m envious.

For many years, my language use was very much like my grandmother’s closet – I could pull out an appropriate set for any formal occassion. Talking to authority figures, talking as an authority figure, academic papers, academic lectures, anyplace where some form of relatively formal usage was appropriate, I was good to go.

But I had no linguistic blue-jeans. I struck people meeting me for the first time as stuck-up. I had a five-year-old who could define “defenestrate” and use it appropriately. Verbally, I couldn’t use conjunctions – could not. I literally used more conjunctions typing than I did when speaking to people. Quick e-mails would have looked entirely appropriate on a Victorian greeting card.

Oddly enough it was writing a novel that started to loosen me up. I couldn’t possibly write a novel full of people who all talked the way I did – it would have looked ridiculous. And so I learned. Maybe someday, I’ll even learn to argue.

Perpetual Beginner’s last blog post..I Said “Ow” Too Soon

By: --Deb

--Deb — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:46:09 +0000

The book is really interesting, too. The first half gives a very general overview of the history of people trying to apply rules to the ever-changing English language, but the second half starts really addressing why that doesn't necessarily work. I'm really enjoying reading it, and it's making me think--in a good way! --Deb's last blog post..MM: Question

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:10:25 +0000

What a wonderful essay Deb! I couldn't agree more. Also, it's these many different outfits we keep in our wardrobes that make writing and reading engaging and diverse. Even if we're all going to a casual party, each writing is going to have a slightly different style. Variety is the spice of life! Cliche, I know, but oh so true! Melissa Donovan's last blog post..Link Love Mad Libs Writing Exercise for Bloggers