#elements of expression

[vivaeditions-blog]

modern language and its discontents: a case for Art Plotnik

"In this completely updated edition, The Elements of Expression helps word users "light up the cosmos or the written page or the face across the table" as they seek the radiance of expressiveness--the vivid expression of thoughts, feelings, and observations. Nothing kills radiance like the murky, generic language dominating today's talk, airwaves, and posts. It tugs at our every sentence, but using it to express anything beyond the ordinary is like flapping the tongue to escape gravity. The Elements of Expression offers an adventurous and inspiring flight into words that truly share what's percolating in our minds. Here writers, presenters, students, bloggers -- even well intentioned "Mad Men" -- will discover language to convey precise feelings, move audiences, delight and persuade."—Gotham Writers' Workshop

Click the link for a peek inside the book!

[vivaeditions-blog]

Grammar tics of the Founding Fathers: The Chicago Tribune and Art Plotnik

"Arthur Plotnik, author of THE ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION: PUTTING THOUGHTS INTO WORDS (Viva), takes issue with the Constitution's wordiness.

'You can find a few little extras in the document's phrasal verbs,' Plotnik says. 'The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies.' Fill up, like a gas balloon?

'Another one: 'No government officer shall accept of any present … from any king, prince or foreign state.' What's up with the of? An officer could accept the whole present, but not 'of' it? Sounds Super-PAC-ish," he says. "And Article IV goes all 'Gunsmoke,' decreeing that fugitives could be 'delivered up' to the states they fled."