The Teaching Company: Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft

[jo11111]

I don't know. This is super super brainy. Writing is a gut thing. This feels like algebra to me.

[cannoir]

@jo11111 it is supposed to lmao! economy of words baby

[9RidgeProductions]

The audio download from The Teaching Company is only $35 and well worth it for anyone who loves language

[BlueDotVideos]

seriously?? SOmeone actually makes a program on how to build great sentences?? these courses cost like 200 bucks!! why the HELL would you spend that much to learn how to talk like a smart-ass snob?? Get a life, seriously. this is horrible. who wants this stuff???????

[Soulquarium]

@BlueDotVideos People who value their education, which in turn createst more opportunities for people in the workplace, which in turn, genrally speaking, allows for more money making opportunities to support you're family.

[charleshoskinson]

@BlueDotVideos Simply put, the ability to communicate in a clear, concise- yet effective- way provides us with better opportunities for both women and treasure. The sentence, and its underlying propositions, are the core building block of written communication and hence are the vehicle upon which one can accomplish their rhetorical goals.

[Soulquarium]

"And the fact that each clause starts with the same words exploits the classic rhetorical trope of anafora." Brillant!

[Soulquarium]

How on Earth does anyone dislike this? Sure it can get a little bit dense and esoteric in nature, but that's what makes Professor Landon and other professors at The Teaching Company great. The Teaching Company does not pander to the masses, and is intended for the elite intellectual.

[Soulquarium]

If kids today spent as much time time watching The Teaching Company videos,as they do on social networking websites, I can't begin to imagine the depth that cerebral way of thinking that would take place in our schools today if this occured.

70% of the US population did not read a book last year, and 80% have not stepped foot inside a bookstore in the last 5 years. Those are very scary and sobbering statistics.

[Soulquarium]

Interestingly he doesn't even pronounce sentences correctly at 1:20. Still, i love The Teaching Company.

[3e3op88]

@Soulquarium You, too, noticed that?! I noticed it when I first started listening to the course and found it distracting. Cheers.

[logant44]

this can be downloaded from isohunt

[robertjsawyer]

This is an absolutely fabulous course. Landon is wonderfully pleasant to listen to, and his points are fascinating. (I bought the audio version of this course.) -- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of HOMINIDS

[mickyear2008]

A truly enlightening analysis

[flaskofcoffee]

It began with the best of sentences; it ended with the worst of explanations.

6.44 minutes of verbal masturbation.

Just my own opinion.

[Gnickk]

6 minutes and 44 seconds is equal to 6.73 minutes, not 6.44.

[14thetruth]

@flaskofcoffee The most "on the money" reply. I was going to comment; however after reading yours I arrived at there is no improving perfection!

[Soulquarium]

@flaskofcoffee I absolutely love verbal masturbation. I love being able to use words like anafora and epistrophy to some of my fellow colleagues, who have no idea what I'm talking about. It makes me feel good when I can show my intellectual prowess over inferior individuals.

[13katrianna]

@Soulquarium if you're hellbent on showing your intellectual superiority you might want to know anafora is spelled anaphora.

[azharoslan]

@flaskofcoffee verbal masturbation! haha nice!

[axaxa84]

ha it was the best of times etc is what i thought, i am just a sheep lol!

[pikiwiki]

i purchased this course and returned it. great writing starts with great ideas. if you're good, the writing follows.

[RevRydland]

yes, If I have a good idea, my writing will automatically be good...right

[tristramshandy3]

great writing starts with great reading- every great writer I know was also a lifelong reader.

viva Plutarch and Montaigne!!!

[HowDareThey1970]

@pikiwiki ???!!!WHAT??? Do you really think that? That would only be partially true at best, on the best days. You could have fabulous ideas and no skill at writing, easily. That's why technical manuals are so hard to read--lots of ideas, ineffective writing. Writing is a skill in itself, and requires development. Good, effective, or eloquent writing is simply not guaranteed by having good ideas.

[pikiwiki]

i think what i was trying to say is that if you can think clearly, you can write clearly. that's all.

[HowDareThey1970]

@pikiwiki With that in mind, does it stand to reason that formal training in writing can help someone out in developing clear thinking skills? I think that learning to write and express yourself clearly--esp in a class where you get feedback from a professor and classmates (not available in a tape lecture of course) is a very valuable part of developing clear thinking... at least as helpful as courses in logic, if not more so.

[HowDareThey1970]

@pikiwiki With that in mind, does it stand to reason that formal training in writing can help someone out in developing clear thinking skills? I think that learning to write and express yourself clearly--esp in a class where you get feedback from a professor and classmates (not available in a tape lecture of course) is a very valuable part of developing clear thinking... at least as helpful as courses in logic, if not more so.

[ddsharper]

I purchased this lecture series, hesitant to spend money, fearing another promise gone broken, broken in the past just too many times, killing my hope for the future of buying titles such as this. I am so happy I purchased it, my hope is restored!

[HowDareThey1970]

@ddsharper ?? What happened? Broken promises?

[ddsharper]

@HowDareThey1970 No. My sentence was a joyfully long example of what I learned and was in praise of the course.

[louielamson2000]

Great writer, written Great Sentences! Great Sentences, created Great Scenes for Great Screenwriter?

Thanks to your video.

Dalat Vietnam April 27, 2009

Louielamson2000

[KamratMattis]

I want a video course in political science and sociology. That would be great!

[frantic1971]

Check out the website...they have many good videos in these subject areas.

[Paxr1x]

I think they have those.

[mrfatd]

awesome stuff, i love ttc, post more vids!!