The Sense of Style

Select one passage from the book and analyze it according to the terms of “classic style” laid out in Chapter 2. How does Pinker lead his reader through the steps of his logic?

What does Pinker’s background as a cognitive linguist add to a book about prose style? Use examples from the text.

How does Pinker use humor to reinforce his writing advice? Use visual and written examples from the text.

Throughout the text, Pinker uses metaphors such as “zombie nouns,” “garden paths,” and “arc of coherence” to explain abstract concepts. What do these metaphors add to Pinker’s argument? Choose at least three specific examples. (They don’t have to be those listed above.)

How does the informal tone of Pinker’s writing contribute to his overall argument? How might a more formal approach change a reader’s experience of the book? Use examples from the text.

How does Pinker make The Sense of Style coherent, according to his own definition? What are the “arcs of coherence” that stretch across the book?

What does Pinker mean when he says, in Chapter 6, that “conventions of usage are tacit”? Why should this matter to writers?

In Chapter 6, Pinker explains prescriptivist and descriptivist approaches to language and writing. How does Pinker borrow from both approaches? Analyze at least two of the entries from Chapter 6 in your answer.