From Rules to the Ridiculous understanding audience when considering matters of correctness, style, and choice What would you do if the person you were talking to looked like this? 9.psd In oral communication, we have the benefit of immediate feedback from our audience. A smile… A nod… A furrowed brow… We can make adjustments on the fly. 12.psd 19.psd 18.psd 10.psd 3.psd When we speak to people we are constantly assessing their reactions. We can read their non-verbal cues—their facial expressions, body language, and so forth. Sometimes they will even stop us to tell us what they think about what we are saying, or if they don’t understand. This feedback allows us to make adjustments. But how does this work in writing? 17.psd 50.psd It’s easy to lose sight of our audience when writing… After all, isn’t writing a lone activity? Something done in quiet solitude? You know the image—the writer alone in his cabin in the woods where no one else matters. Is this an accurate view of writing? When talking about writing…There’s no right or wrong writing BUT…There is writing that is effective and writing that is not so effective Who decides if your writing is effective? Writing is about making choices…How do you know what choices to make as a writer?Every choice you make as a writer should be based on your absolute understanding of just two things… 1. AUDIENCE 2. PURPOSE But if our audience is NOT sitting in front of us as we write, how can we know them and adjust to their needs? Audience AnalysisAs writers, we need to make a deliberate effort to understand our audience We need to do some analysis by asking questions about our audienceAnd then keep the resulting image of who our audience is foremost in our minds as we make our choices Know your audience, know how you want to affect your audience (i.e. know your purpose), and then make choices PRACTICE: recognizing the target audience Choose the right audience… Dear Sir, I am sorry to bother you with this, but I just wanted to verify with you an e-mail that I received from Mr. Johnson yesterday afternoon…Your co-workerThe CEOYour cousin in Cleveland Choose the right audience… Mike, Johnson sent this to me yesterday afternoon and I have no idea what he is talking about. Does it make sense to you…Your co-workerThe CEOYour cousin in Cleveland Choose the right audience… Hey man, Wonder if you can help me out. My boss sent this to me yesterday afternoon and I just can’t figure out what he means. What’s your take on it…Your co-workerThe CEOYour cousin in Cleveland So what about all the rules of English? Any fool can make a rule and every fool will mind it. –HENRY DAVID THOREAU Choices versus ObedienceIn some matters of language we have no choice: “up the street” vs. “the street up”But for other matters choice is at the forefront of a good writer’s mind.Which is clearest and most direct?There was a lack of evidence in support ...

1. From Rules to the Ridiculous
understanding audience when considering matters of
correctness, style, and choice
What would you do if the person you were talking to looked like
this?
9.psd
In oral communication, we have the benefit of immediate
feedback from our audience.
A smile…
A nod…
A furrowed brow…
We can make adjustments on the fly.
12.psd
19.psd

2. 18.psd
10.psd
3.psd
When we speak to people we are constantly assessing their
reactions. We can read their non-verbal cues—their facial
expressions, body language, and so forth. Sometimes they will
even stop us to tell us what they think about what we are
saying, or if they don’t understand.
This feedback allows us to make adjustments.
But how does this work in writing?
17.psd
50.psd

3. It’s easy to lose sight of our audience when writing…
After all, isn’t writing a lone activity? Something done in quiet
solitude? You know the image—the writer alone in his cabin in
the woods where no one else matters.
Is this an accurate view of writing?
When talking about writing…There’s no right or wrong writing
BUT…There is writing that is effective and writing that is not
so effective
Who decides if your writing is effective?
Writing is about making choices…How do you know what
choices to make as a writer?Every choice you make as a writer
should be based on your absolute understanding of just two
things…
1. AUDIENCE 2. PURPOSE
But if our audience is NOT sitting in front of us as we write,
how can we know them and adjust to their needs?
Audience AnalysisAs writers, we need to make a deliberate
effort to understand our audience We need to do some analysis

4. by asking questions about our audienceAnd then keep the
resulting image of who our audience is foremost in our minds as
we make our choices
Know your audience, know how you want to affect your
audience (i.e. know your purpose), and then make choices
PRACTICE:
recognizing the target audience
Choose the right audience…
Dear Sir,
I am sorry to bother you with this, but I just wanted to verify
with you an e-mail that I received from Mr. Johnson yesterday
afternoon…Your co-workerThe CEOYour cousin in Cleveland
Choose the right audience…
Mike,
Johnson sent this to me yesterday afternoon and I have no idea
what he is talking about. Does it make sense to you…Your co-
workerThe CEOYour cousin in Cleveland
Choose the right audience…
Hey man,
Wonder if you can help me out. My boss sent this to me
yesterday afternoon and I just can’t figure out what he means.
What’s your take on it…Your co-workerThe CEOYour cousin in
Cleveland

5. So what about all the rules of English?
Any fool can make a rule
and every fool will mind it.
–HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Choices versus ObedienceIn some matters of language we have
no choice: “up the street” vs. “the street up”But for other
matters choice is at the forefront of a good writer’s mind.Which
is clearest and most direct?There was a lack of evidence in
support for their claim.Their claim suffered from a lack of
evidence in its support.They could not support their claim
because they lacked evidence.
Choice vs. ObedienceSometimes what is choice and what is not
is contested…Can I split an infinitive?Can I start a sentence
with and?Can I end a sentence with up?
The fact of the matter…We must write English correctly, but we
also must realize that some points of “correctness” are less
important than we think (or not important at all).“Correct”

6. writing is a not necessarily clear, direct, or effective.
Unlike matters of style, correctness seems not to offer choices
but to require obedience.
Three kinds of rules
Rules that govern the fundamental structure of Englishthe book,
not book the
Rules that define standard written formyou were, not you wasI
don’t know anything, not I don’t know nothing
Rules invented by grammarians about trivial points of
usageDon’t split infinitives, as in to quickly leave.Don’t use
than after different, use from.Don’t use between with three or
more.
Observing rules thoughtfullyThe worst (i.e., safest) case
policyFollow all the rules all the time because somewhere
sometime, some reader might criticize you for something.But if
you follow all the rules all the time you surrender a measure of
stylistic choice.A more thoughtful (i.e., riskier) approachThe
alternative to blind obedience is selective observance As
always, be mindful of your audience.
How conservative are they?
What will they accept or not accept?
Put clarity and directness before “correctness.”
Observing rules thoughtfully

7. If vast numbers of careful writers choose to ignore a rule and
the vast majority of educated, careful readers don’t notice, then
the deviation from the rule can be neither an error in good
grammar nor a violation of “good” usage.
–JOSEPH WILLIAMS
Writing by design…Writing is about choicesWriting is
architectureWriting is more than just wordsit is about design,
about conscious choices that change the way people experience
meaningWriting is power
The secret of style
Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is
the only secret of style.
–MATTHEM ARNOLD
Understanding styleIt is good to write clearly, and anyone
can.Choice is at the heart of clear writing.Before our readers
can accept our claims they have to understand them.Why do so
many have a style that instead of revealing ideas, hides them?
(Read from Williams 4~5)
Some causes of unclear writingHiding behind languageTo plump
ideas and to mask their absence, hoping to impress those who
confuse difficulty with substanceBad memories of HS grammar
(Williams 10)Temporary aphasia—a loss of the ability to use or
understand language when learning to write or think in a new

8. academic or professional area
Principles of style can helpStyle takes us beyond rulesNo one
can teach good writing by rule…Help is in a few reliable
principles, not in inviolate rulesGood style can help us write
more clearly and, therefore, see and feel and think more clearly
PRACTICE:
making choices as you write
Guess the audience…
your family priest
best friend
4-year old sister
neighborhood pimp
someone who doesn’t speak English very well
the chief of police
someone you’re talking to at a bar
If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel
my feelings, and speak my words.
–MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO