ABSTRACT
The introduction begins informally with a thought experiment about the value of using rhetorical devices. Examples include a newsletter, a script, and a speech. The point is made that rhetorical devices offer a set of tools for making writing more effective and that effectiveness is important for making writing stand out among the mass of words being produced every day. Readers are informed that rhetoric can be used for good; bias against it because it can be misused is unfair. The purpose of writing is to communicate; interesting writing is more likely to be read; and since rhetoric helps both goals, it is a friend of clarity. The method of the book is to describe each device, showing examples, providing usage advice, and including exercises and end-of-chapter Review Questions. A section describing what is new to second edition notes that this edition has additional examples and more exercises.
