Exercises help you choose and use words that express your thoughts clearly and exactly. Many of these exercises can be completed orally rather than in writing. The Shades of Meaning section looked fun, even, and like good fodder for dinnertime conversation! A word, or words similar in meaning, can elicit different emotional responses. Fire, for instance, can be helpful or dangerous; can warm or injure. The book also looks at bias, figurative constructs, and being concise. Later practice includes recognizing valid and invalid conclusions and differentiating fact from opinion. Methods of organizing writing to produce coherent paragraphs are modeled and examined and a concluding section practices comprehension and retention of key points in narratives.

Customer Review

 
Mrs. C. from Bowie, MD wrote the following on 01/16/2008:
I bought this book for my high school age daughter. In shopping for a logic book for my elementary aged son, I came across this. The description sounded interesting and the price was not too expensive. Because of the clear instructions and explanations, my daughter was able to complete the assignments on her own most of the time. We like this book mainly because it helps one to understand how to communicate in clear terms and also to understand how emotional and vague words are used to sway public opinion. These tactics are very often used by the media. The topics are clearly explained, then an exercise is given to make sure the topic was understood. An answer key is included, which is very helpful. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. I think most children can understand and complete the work alone, but help in clarifying terms may sometimes be needed. I had fun learning along with my daughter! This would be a good companion to the Fallacy Detective by the Bluedorns or for use in supplementing any writing program.