Easy Writer By Andrea A Lunsford Analysis

In chapters 29 through 32 of Andrea A. Lunsford's book Easy Writer, she discusses numerous tactics successful writers utilize. Beginning in chapter 29 " Writing to the World", Lunsford describes how to competently write for a diversified audience. To accomplish this, Lunsford first explains that a writer must be able to identify the cultural differences within their audience in order to communicate effectively. Additionally, Lunsford states that a writer must clarify their message to ensure the audience understands the meaning while also ensuring that they as a writer understand the audience. Then Lunsford transitions to explaining how a writer can ensure that they meet an audience’s expectations. She then gives details of the expectation on

authority and how it can differ between cultures. For instance, in America student writers can express authority thru personal experience, research, or by taking a stance that is backed by strongly supported evidence. Conversely, she mentions that other cultures believe a student is responsible for learning from those with a higher authority than theirs’. Moving on to the expectations of persuasive evidence, a writer must consider what types of evidence matter most to the target audience. Lunsford gives a list of questions to verify what evidence would hold the most weight with a particular culture. There are also expectations regarding the organization of material based on the audience's preference or cultural norm. In the U.S., the normal organization a reader would expect is an introduction with a thesis, background, overview, and a logical presentation of evidence. In addition to other points of view on the topic and then the conclusion. In contrast, other cultures appreciate subtle, indirect or repetitious information to deliver a message. In all a writer needs to organize their information based on the target audience, whether that means the thesis is stated at the beginning of an article or the end. Finally there is the expectation on style, Lunsford states that the most significant question a writer should ask themselves is, "What level of formality is most appropriate?" (148). She also asks the reader to analyze whether an informal or formal style will fit the audience or purpose. A major aspect of style is to refrain from slang and avoid informal sentence structure. Lastly, Lunsford emphasizes not to use first names unless invited to do so.
Chapter 30 of Lunsford's book "Language That Builds Common Ground", reviews the many ways to establish "common ground" with an audience. She begins by telling her readers how to avoid stereotypes and to consider the assumptions they may have of other cultures. Lunsford explains, that over generalizing and stereotyping can undermine any "common ground” a writer may have established with an audience. Some other assumptions writers mistakenly make are centered on gender. Lunsford claims that sexist language can even affect the behavior or thinking of an audience. Sexist language is a word or phrase that either singles out a gender on intentionally leaves them out. The author lists ways to evade masculine pronouns that would exclude the opposite sex. Next, Lunsford examines the assumptions concerning race and ethnicity, and how many words can discount the differences between groups and subgroups. Then, Lunsford further clarifies for the reader the preferred terms to identify different ethnicities and races while also analyzing how these terms have changed over the course of time. Specifically, the former terms used for African Americans or Asian Americans and the many terms used by Spanish speaking Americans. Concluding this chapter, Lunsford informs the reader that there are various differences to also consider when writing for an audience. These include religion, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, age and abilities. All these factors can affect the message to be delivered, and Lunsford reminds the reader to never assume an audience has a similar background or that they have similar life experiences.
At the beginning of Chapter 31 "Varieties of Language", Lunsford describes the various forms of language can be used to advance a writer's communication skills, and that a writer may need to switch between formal and informal varieties of the English language to reach the goal that they want to achieve.

The key to this as Lunsford sees it is appropriateness, and when to change the message to help the audience understand or when a change may be a misstep. One variety of the English language is "standard" or "standard academic" language, this type of language is most commonly used in schools or business settings. However, Lunsford expresses that although standard English is the most common form of language used, it can also vary depending on the purpose or the readers. After that Lunsford describes, the varieties of language that can induce a sense of place or community. The author illustrates ways a writer can take advantage of the local colloquial expressions or slang to further induce a sense of place. Lastly, Lunsford depicts how the English language can create credibility with a community. Lunsford explains that the ancestry and heritage of people remain with them in their language, and a writer can use both standard and local language to assist them in building credibility within a community. But Lunsford does warn writers not to use this tactic if they are not a member of the community or culture as it can have the reverse effect. Consequently, this will demolish the

writers credibility and potentially alienate the audience.
Finally in chapter 32 "Word Choice", Lunsford depicts how a writer's choice of words can tell the reader a lot about an author's personality, as well as, who the intended audience is.

Ultimately, the word choices a writer makes can impact the audience's feelings and expectations. Lunsford helps the reader understand when it is appropriate to use informal and formal language, and the different types of language that can be used to do this such as slang, colloquial, and jargon. Slang as explained by Lunsford, is a particularly informal form of language that has a tendency to change quickly and is used by a minimal amount of people. On the other hand, colloquial language is not as informal in comparison to slang and is more widely used. The author cautions writers' about using these forms of language, as both can cause the audience to misunderstand the intended message and even affect the writer's credibility. Alternatively, jargon is the vocabulary used by various occupations as a way for members of the field to simplify their communication. However Lunsford stresses, this type of communication should only be used for an appropriate audience as jargon can also become a hindrance. She advises the writer to first analyze the audience to ensure their ability to understand the jargon that will be used. Afterward Lunsford transitions into the explanations of pompous language, euphemisms, and doublespeak and when these types of language can be used effectively. As for pompous

language, she explains that this is the unnecessary use of large words and that employing them will most likely have a negative effect on the tone of a writer's piece. Euphemisms are the use of words to soften a disagreeable topic, but Lunsford states this can be perceived by the audience as an evasive maneuver by the writer. While euphemisms can make an ugly truth seem pleasant, doublespeak is a tactic to conceal or alter the truth. These tactics are most often used by companies when completing layoffs, and they will instead use the term rightsizing to conceal the harsh truth. Next Lunsford discusses the differences between denotation and connotation, and how these differences can affect the tone a writer wishes to achieve. Words with the same denotation closely resemble each other by definition, but connotations are associated with different emotions and feelings that can be either negative or positive in tone. According to Lunsford, general and specific language, are words that complement each other. While general words reference items that a reader cannot identify with their five senses, specific words appeal to the senses of a reader allowing them to visualize items using their senses. In addition, Lunsford describes the use of figurative language and how to make the best use of this form of language. Figurative language is the use of similes, metaphors, analogies and clichés, in order to paint a vivid picture in a reader's mind. The first of these that Lunsford describes is similes, which makes use of the words like or as to compare items that are different. Similarly, metaphors also compare items but do not use the words like or as. By contrast, analogies compare items that are opposite, so in doing this an analogy can make an object that is unfamiliar seem familiar. The figurative languages that Lunsford explains last are the use of clichés and mixed metaphors. To put it simply, a cliché is an excessively used form of figurative speech. One example a cliché given by Lunsford is the term, "busy as a bee" (159). As for mixed metaphors, they are unlike metaphors in that they make contradictory comparisons of items. Finally, Lunsford concludes this chapter with ways a writer can make the best use of a spell checking application. Although spell checkers may find common errors, Lunsford warns writers to look for errors not commonly found by these applications. These errors include homonyms, proper nouns, compound words and typographical errors. Another error Lunsford advises writers to look for, are the wrong words offered by spell checkers that are out of context. Lastly, she recommends writers proofread their material with a few simple tips in mind. These tips include using a dictionary, checking for capitalization errors, and checking for common homonyms the writer misuses. Also, she adds that a writer can make changes to the word list within an application, so that it will include any special terms commonly used by the writer.