Skip to content

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work Paperback - 2013

by Steven Cahn; Victor Cahn; Foreword by Mary Ann Caws


From the publisher

This singular book illustrates how to edit a piece of prose and enhance its clarity of thought and felicity of style. The authors first present ten principles of effective composition, and then scrutinize three extended paragraphs, suggesting with remarkable specificity how to improve them. The volume also offers challenging practice questions, as well as two finished essays, one serious and one humorous, that demonstrate how attention to sound mechanics need not result in mechanical writing. Steven M. Cahn and Victor L. Cahn help readers deploy a host of corrective strategies, such as avoiding jargon, bombast, and redundancy; varying sentence structure; paring the use of adjectives and adverbs; properly deploying phrases and clauses; and refining an argument. Here is a book for all who seek to increase their facility in written communication.

Details

  • Title Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
  • Author Steven Cahn; Victor Cahn; Foreword by Mary Ann Caws
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Paperback
  • Pages 104
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Columbia University Press
  • Date 2013-03-26
  • Features Index
  • ISBN 9780231160896 / 0231160895
  • Weight 0.3 lbs (0.14 kg)
  • Dimensions 8 x 5.4 x 0.4 in (20.32 x 13.72 x 1.02 cm)
  • Themes
    • Aspects (Academic): Applied/Practical
  • Library of Congress subjects Editing, Report writing
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2012020433
  • Dewey Decimal Code 808.042

About the author

Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has written or edited fifty books, among them Fate, Logic, and Time; God, Reason, and Religion; Saints and Scamps: Ethics in Academia; and From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor. Victor L. Cahn is professor of English at Skidmore College. Among his numerous nonfiction works are Shakespeare the Playwright: A Companion to the Complete Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romances and Classroom Virtuoso: Recollections of a Life in Learning. He has also published two novels and many plays, seven of which were produced Off-Broadway. Mary Ann Caws is distinguished professor of comparative literature, English, and French at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work

by Cahn, Victor,Cahn, Steven

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Denton, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$8.33
A$6.15 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press, 2013-03-26. Paperback. Good. 0.4000 in x 8.1000 in x 5.4000 in. May contain highlighting/underlining/notes/etc. May have used stickers on cover. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed to be included with used books.
Item Price
A$8.33
A$6.15 shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work

by Cahn, Victor,Cahn, Steven

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Denton, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$8.56
A$6.15 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press, 2013-03-26. Paperback. Acceptable. 0.4000 in x 8.1000 in x 5.4000 in. Contains water or spine damage. May contain highlighting/underlining/notes/etc. May have used stickers on cover. Overall, still a fine copy for classroom use! Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed to be included with used books.
Item Price
A$8.56
A$6.15 shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work

Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work

by Steven M. Cahn; Victor L. Cahn

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$9.61
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press, 2013. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$9.61
FREE shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work

by Cahn, Steven

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Skokie, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$9.90
A$6.15 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New. This book is Bookstore New; never been used and opened but may have some slight imperfections Fast Shipping - Each order powers our free bookstore in Chicago and sending books to Africa!
Item Price
A$9.90
A$6.15 shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work

by Cahn, Victor, Cahn, Steven

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.39
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
A$10.39
FREE shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work

by Cahn, Victor, Cahn, Steven

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.39
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
A$10.39
FREE shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose : How to Turn First Drafts into Finished Work

by Cahn, Victor, Cahn, Steven

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.39
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
A$10.39
FREE shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work

by Steven M. Cahn, Victor L. Cahn, Mary Ann Caws (Foreword)

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$12.98
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press, 2013-03-26. Paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
A$12.98
FREE shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work

by Cahn, Steven; Cahn, Victor

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
40
Seller
Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$14.88
A$6.15 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press. New. BRAND NEW, GIFT QUALITY! NOT OVERSTOCKS OR MARKED UP REMAINDERS! DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER!
Item Price
A$14.88
A$6.15 shipping to USA
Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work

by Cahn, Steven; Cahn, Victor; Caws, Mary Ann [Foreword]

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780231160896 / 0231160895
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$20.86
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Columbia University Press, 2013-03-26. Paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
A$20.86
FREE shipping to USA