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Mark Forsyth
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The Elements of Eloquence: How To Turn the Perfect English Phrase Kindle Edition

by Mark Forsyth (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 1,568 ratings

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE ETYMOLOGICON.

'An informative but highly entertaining journey through the figures of rhetoric ... Mark Forsyth wears his considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully.' David Marsh, Guardian.

Mark Forsyth presents the secret of writing unforgettable phrases, uncovering the techniques that have made immortal such lines as 'To be or not to be' and 'Bond. James Bond.'

In his inimitably entertaining and witty style, he takes apart famous quotations and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde or John Lennon.

Crammed with tricks to make the most humdrum sentiments seem poetic or wise, The Elements of Eloquence reveals how writers through the ages have turned humble words into literary gold - and how you can do the same.

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  1. Print length
    227 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Icon Books
  4. Publication date
    7 Nov. 2013
  5. File size
    1.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product description

Review

Sparkling ... the book offers many pleasures ... I laughed out loud. -- Charles Moore ― Daily Telegraph

An informative but highly entertaining journey through the figures of rhetoric ... Mark Forsyth wears his considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully. -- David Marsh ― Guardian

About the Author

Mark Forsyth is a blogger and author who was given a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary as a christening present and has never looked back. In 2009 he started the Inky Fool blog in order to share his heaps of useless information with a verbose world. His books have made him one of the UK s best-known commentators on words. Follow Mark on Twitter @inkyfool.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KFEJN3Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Icon Books (7 Nov. 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 227 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 1,568 ratings

About the author

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Mark Forsyth

Mark Forsyth

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Mark Forsyth is the author of several books on language, including, most recently, The Illustrated Etymologicon. He has also written books about drunkenness, Christmas traditions, and bookshops. He studied English at Oxford University, and lives in Clerkenwell, London.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
1,568 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book amusing and witty, with one noting how it reveals the tricks and tropes of written language. Moreover, they appreciate its informative content, particularly how it provides valuable insights into the English language. Additionally, the book's appearance receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as beautifully illustrated. The pacing is engaging, with one review highlighting its interesting examples from historical literature.

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139 customers mention ‘Writing quality’122 positive17 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book, finding it wittily presented and easy to understand, with one customer noting it provides an excellent introduction to technical aspects of grammar and writing.

"...of rhetorical devices, entertainingly described and illustrated with examples from everyone from Plato (if memory serves) to The Beatles and Bob..." Read more

"A smart book, about rhetoric (nice on the classical definitions etc), and the literary uses we put them to...." Read more

"...So this book is a guide to the various tricks and techniques involved in turning an eloquent, memorable phrase...." Read more

"This truly is a beautifully written book which is not only entertaining to read, thanks to Forsyth's innate humour, but is also vastly educational...." Read more

134 customers mention ‘Entertainment value’134 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining, describing it as a witty and enjoyable read that is spiced with humor.

"...is a circular tour of a catalogue of rhetorical devices, entertainingly described and illustrated with examples from everyone from Plato..." Read more

"...Elements explains why great writers (of speeches, poetry, songs, advertising copy and so on) use certain phrasing to make what they have said more..." Read more

"...It's amusing and neatly written (as it should be, about this topic)...." Read more

"A fun, interesting read, somewhat in the spirit of Stephen Fry’s “An Ode Less Travelled” in that it wants to educate people in literary technique..." Read more

128 customers mention ‘Information quality’128 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and fascinating, providing valuable insights into the English language and being packed with information.

"...The book itself is a circular tour of a catalogue of rhetorical devices, entertainingly described and illustrated with examples from everyone from..." Read more

"A smart book, about rhetoric (nice on the classical definitions etc), and the literary uses we put them to...." Read more

"...Fry’s “An Ode Less Travelled” in that it wants to educate people in literary technique rather than critique the work...." Read more

"...a particular technique linked to the next, and every section is peppered with examples from a wide range of literature, media and political..." Read more

18 customers mention ‘Look’15 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's appearance, with one noting its beautiful illustrations.

"...This is not a bulky reference book but a light-hearted look at how you could make your prose absolutely unreadable if you so desired, although I’m..." Read more

"...the reason why some phrases are memorable are explained and illustrated beautifully. I can't commend this too highly...." Read more

"...Thanks to this book I discovered beauty and charm in the English language." Read more

"...this is a lovely book - nicely printed and bound, with a very nice looking cover...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Pacing’8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing, with one review highlighting its interesting examples from historical literature and another noting its old-world feel.

"...A real pleasure to read and so full of surprises as it reveals the tricks and tropes of the trade of written language...." Read more

"...figures of speech in the English language with interesting examples from historical literature, written in a lucid and entertaining way...." Read more

"Every entry educational, every example evidenced, every excerpt explained, every element elucidated, every expression enhanced, every..." Read more

"...The Etymologist on the strength of it. Full of historical and current examples, amusing and otherwise...." Read more

Damaged
2 out of 5 stars
Damaged
The book itself is great which I already knew as I have the audiobook but wanted a physical copy to make notes from but it arrived damaged with the plastic sheet thing which the title is printed on peeling away
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Brian C
    5.0 out of 5 stars A whistle-stop tour of Rhetoric (with song lyrics!)
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 January 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I previewed this book before buying it and was encouraged by the style and pace of the sample. Rhetoric may not seem like a particularly relevant skill in modern times but this book illustrates clearly how adepts in the art can turn a run-of-the-mill idea into an apparent gem of wisdom. If you think these concepts have fallen out of use, check out the latest political sound-bite to change your mind!

    The book itself is a circular tour of a catalogue of rhetorical devices, entertainingly described and illustrated with examples from everyone from Plato (if memory serves) to The Beatles and Bob Dylan. The author defines each construction, then describes how it's been used by writers down through history. Using proverbs and quotations, he makes a case for the use of the construction, often offering alternative phrasings that, quite simply, don't cut the mustard like the original. At the end of each chapter, he finishes with a final example that's also an example of the device described in the next chapter (and, by the end, he arrives back where he started).

    I was particularly taken with his opening passage, which starts with a denial of Shakespeare's genius (how often do you find someone going public with that?) No, says Forsyth, what Shakespeare did was to work at his art and get better at it with years of practice. He applied many of the concepts described later in the book and, when he did, he came out with his most memorable quotations. (Would anyone remember "Can anyone lend me a horse, please?" in comparison with what he actually wrote?)

    If you have any love of language, this is a book you should read. If you ever have to speak in public, ditto. But please don't expect a dry, turgid exposition of rhetoric. This is a good read and something you could keep by the bedside to dip into whenever you get the urge.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Matthew Haynes
    5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant must-read for anyone interested in writing and the power of language
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 April 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is perhaps the most entertaining book about the English language I have read this year. I added the qualifier ‘perhaps’ because I am currently reading his book The Etymologicon which might eclipse Elements of Eloquence in terms of entertainment. Elements explains why great writers (of speeches, poetry, songs, advertising copy and so on) use certain phrasing to make what they have said more memorable than writing without knowledge of what makes things ‘pop’.

    Forsyth provides his definitions of each of the ‘figures’ of rhetoric and is quite candid that there is a lot of disagreement among scholars about these definitions. He provides the definition which he thinks makes the most sense and has the support of the majority, and provides excellent and entertaining examples of their employment.

    Some of the figures are in common use and I, a humble ‘self-taught’ writer, like a lot of people manage to use some of them without really thinking about it. For example I am an ardent admirer of alliteration – often employing it to the edge of overuse. I also use tricolon a lot – if only from listening to Del la Soul repeatedly enforcing the coda that three is the magic number. There’s a few others (personification was obviously part of my ‘O’ level education in terms of how they relate to simile and metaphor and allegory) but I have to agree that I have been ‘baking blindfolded’ as Forsyth puts it – sometimes I luck out and write a catchy sentence but most times not so much.

    Since reading the book I have been keeping an ear out for the use of these figures when listening to film dialogue and of course songs which are as close as I get to reading poetry – lyrics are full of assonance, alliteration, isocolons, anaphora, diacope, smatterings of epanalepsis and lots of other things I have already unfortunately forgotten the names for, and the lines in films are generally memorable because of the use of one figure or more. A great example recently is “if we burn, you burn with us!”

    I think Forsyth’s main point is that great writers such as Shakespeare and Dickens were not necessarily happy to settle on using the talents they were born with but in practicing their craft and learning how to employ the figures to great effect. He bemoans the usual edict to ‘delete unnecessary words’ that a lot of modern writers follow and this is something I will ponder as I write. It is obviously a matter of personal choice or taste when and when not to be succinct or meander into the realms of pleonasm.

    Finally it was great to finally find out what the iambic pentameter was and also read about all the other meters that are out there in the wondrous worlds of poetry and prose in Forsyth’s divagation concerning versification. When I have written poems in the past I have always looked at how many syllables each line contained and then struggled to make sense of the flow (or meter!) when what I should have been looking for was in fact something called ‘feet’ (of which there are four types including the iamb) to then fit to a consistent meter line by line. The iamb is a te-TUM and if you put five in a row then you get the iambic pentameter te-TUM- te-TUM- te-TUM- te-TUM- te-TUM. Simples! And much used by Shakespeare – perhaps something I was taught and have since forgotten. Anyway thanks goes to the @inkyfool Mark Forysth for running me through it!
    13 people found this helpful
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  • paul callick
    4.0 out of 5 stars smart
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 July 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A smart book, about rhetoric (nice on the classical definitions etc), and the literary uses we put them to. It's amusing and neatly written (as it should be, about this topic). Lots of small effects I'd not thought much about before plus some extracts I'd not come acosss. Good stuff!
    One person found this helpful
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  • JWH
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Light-Hearted, Fun But Insightful Guide to Rhetorical Techniques
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 May 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A fun, interesting read, somewhat in the spirit of Stephen Fry’s “An Ode Less Travelled” in that it wants to educate people in literary technique rather than critique the work. It claims to be impatient with the style of writing about literature which sees its aim as to “decode” the true meaning and intent of the author, so:

    “English teaching at school is obsessed with what a poet thought, as though that were of any interest to anyone. Rather than being taught how a poem is phrased, schoolchildren are asked to write essays on what William Blake thought about the Tiger; despite the fact that William Blake was a nutjob whose opinions, in a civilized society, would be of no interest to anybody apart from his parole officer…”

    Although a little bit of an exaggeration, he has a point! So this book is a guide to the various tricks and techniques involved in turning an eloquent, memorable phrase. Although not a “how to…” guide with exercises, it does explain how a person can use all the various techniques to write and speak better. It also explains the background and etymology of all the complicated sounding words which describe rhetorical techniques: Aposiopesis, Hypotaxis, Diacope and so on. I don’t know enough about the subject to say if this book could accurately be called comprehensive, but it does seem to cover a lot of ground, without overstaying its welcome.

    It is quite a short book, but full of really fascinating and occasionally useful stuff. Recommended.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Caio D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy interesante para conocer las "entrañas" del estilo literário en inglés
    Reviewed in Mexico on 17 February 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Libro muy interesante – permite un vistazo al "backstage" de las figuras retóricas del inglés. Muy útil para avanzar en el conocimiento de este idioma y escribir mejor y de forma mas contundente. La lectura es divertida y rápida – cero técnica y con muchos ejemplos.
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  • biti
    5.0 out of 5 stars recensione The elements of eloquence
    Reviewed in Italy on 7 April 2017
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    libro utile per ingegneria degli elementi finiti
    consigliato a ingegneri strutturisti
    non dovrebbe mancare nella biblioteca di un ingegnere meccanico e civile
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  • bill donaldson
    5.0 out of 5 stars well written ,entertaining grammar book!
    Reviewed in Spain on 7 January 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I started this and never wanted to put it down. Lovely , informative book with geeky overtones. You feel like you'd like to have a glass of something with the writer.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Words past perfect
    Reviewed in India on 18 July 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A fantastic book that looks at the tools of rhetoric, the old discipline of convincing someone with textual plays, with examples you can relate to. Even if you haven't read EngLitt, you might find this an erudite treat that shows up how some great writers like Shakespeare conned us readers.
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  • Seattle Sue
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rhetorically Speaking, "What's not to love?"
    Reviewed in the United States on 19 November 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth
    Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. While this book contains material that is educational, it is presented in an entertaining style that is witty and entertaining.

    This book is divided into the following 39 chapters that each describe and give examples of figures of rhetoric.
    1 Alliteration: the rhetorical device of repeating the sound of the first consonant in a series of multiple words.
    2 Polyptoton: the use of one word as different parts of speech or in different grammatical forms.
    3 Antithesis: the use of two opposites for contrasting effect.
    4 Merism: where a single thing is referred to by an enumeration of several of its parts, or a list of several synonyms for the same thing.
    5 Blazon: "extended merism, the dismemberment of the loved one".
    6 Synaesthesia: a device where one sense is described in terms of another.
    7 Aposiopesis: a figure of speech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue.
    8 Hyperbaton: a figure of speech which describes an alteration of the logical order of the words in a sentence.
    9 Anadiplosis: repetition of the last word of a preceding clause.
    10 Periodic Sentences: are not complete grammatically before the final clause or phrase.
    11 Hypotaxis and Parataxis: hypotaxis is a complex style of writing involving the use of a large number of subordinate clauses, while parataxis is the style of writing with short simple sentences.
    12 Diacope: the close repetition of a word or phrase, separated by a word or words.
    13 Rhetorical Questions: a device where a question is stated to make a point, without requiring any answer because it is intended to be obvious.
    14 Hendiadys: a device used for emphasis, where an adjective-noun form is swapped for noun-and-noun.
    15 Epistrophe: a device using the repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences for emphasis.
    16 Tricolon: a sentence is composed of three equal parts. Forsyth points to the national motto of France (Liberté, égalité, fraternité) as one of his many examples of the impact of this device.
    17 Epizeuxis: the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, for emphasis.
    18 Syllepsis: a single word is used with two other parts of a sentence but must be understood differently in relation to each.
    19 Isocolon: Forsyth's definition seems to state that a sentence is composed by two parts equivalent in structure, length and rhythm. Other sources suggest two or more parts, and relate tricolon which is mentioned in the earlier chapter.
    20 Enallage: a "deliberate grammatical mistake".
    21 Versification: the effect of a few different verse forms used, including examples of iambic pentameter.
    22 Zeugma: a series of clauses which use the same verb.
    23 Paradox: a statement that is logically false or impossible for emphasis or contrast.
    24 Chiasmus: a symmetrical repetition of structure or wording.
    25 Assonance: the repetition of a vowel sound.
    26 The Fourteenth Rule: the rhetorical device of providing an unnecessarily specific number for something for emphasis.
    27 Catachresis: a grammatically wrong use of words as a means of creative expression.
    28 Litotes: emphasizes a point by denying the opposite.
    29 Metonymy and Synecdoche: where something connected to the thing described, or a part of it, is used in place of the thing itself.
    30 Transferred Epithets: where an adjective is applied to the wrong noun, for effect.
    31 Pleonasm: the use of superfluous and unnecessary words in a sentence for emphasis.
    32 Epanalepsis: repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and end of a sentence or clause to emphasize circularity.
    33 Personification: a description which imputes human actions or characteristics to an inanimate or non-human thing.
    34 Hyperbole: the rhetorical device of exaggeration.
    35 Adynaton: a hyperbole so extreme as to be a complete impossibility.
    36 Prolepsis: the use of a pronoun at the start of a sentence, which reverses the normal order.
    37 Congeries: a bewildering list of adjectives or nouns.
    38 Scesis Onomaton: sentences without a main verb.
    39 Anaphora: starting each sentence with the same word.
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