comparing

While Williams discussed some of what was in Strunk and White, in style and format, but what I read in Williams was not in my blog post about Strunk and White. Probably because of how different these two books are. It is difficult to compare Strunk and White with Williams. The main reason is because of the extreme differences in the formats of the books. Both books provided a great deal of information on how to be a better writer. Strunk and White was more like a manual. Williams was more about the how and why of sentences and their structure. Strunk and White covered the basics, like grammar, punctuation and the common problems writers think about. Williams delved into the deeper problems writers have, in style and sentence/paragraph layout and style.

I believe Strunk and White was more effective and useful. The format of the book made it useful, and the amount I retained made it more effective. I hardly remember anything I read in Williams, and I feel I usually retain quite a bit of what I read. The examples given in Strunk and White were also more effective and useful than those in Williams. Strunk and White did in a simple sentence or passage what Williams did in a confusing paragraph.

One of the few sections I gained from was “Emphasis” and that is because I got to discuss it with others and get their opinions. It was like I read it, and then the other people in my group reworded it, and then it made sense and I could contribute. When reading it i didnt realize you were supposed to shift th important to the left.

I also enjoyed the section on concision, because I believe in being concise. Short and sweet is the way to go. Also, the “why” portion was easier to follow than all the other chapters. This is probably because of the topic of the chapter.