The Art of Speaking Chapter 8 Summary
Dustin Mulkey
Professor Chris Gates
Principles of Speech
14 January 2015
Chapter Review: Chapter Eight: “Write it Right, Say it Right” Before covering proper word use, Dowis gives a short description of what he talked about in Chapter Seven, which was about making language work. Then he talks about specific words that are commonly misused. Under each word set, he briefly describes the right and wrong usages. I think that this chapter is especially helpful, so, I think I will probably come back to it when I have questions about what word to use where. One of my pet peeves is when people say “I could care less,” in which they unknowingly imply they care a bit, so I enjoy that this book corrects that common mistake. In the middle of the chapter, Dowis takes a page and talks about words that either have Latin or Greek roots. He points out that sometimes it is hard to determine how to use singular/plural variants of these words because it doesn’t translate the best. He advises us to use data for both singular and plural regardless of the context, even though the term actually would be datum in the plural. He then also covers the words alumni, alumnus, alumnae, and alumna, which I thought was interesting because I usually just say alumni in every circumstance. I always got lost on how to use whom vs who, so I’m glad that Dowis covered this topic as well. He ends the chapter explaining the importance of using words correctly in writing a speech, especially if you are writing it for someone else. He suggests that we use a certain dictionary if we have questions and then gives us other suggestions as well. Dowis ends this chapter by talking about podium presence. He talks specifically about keeping good eye contact with the audience rather than keeping your eyes glued in your notes, something I struggle with.
Professor Chris Gates
Principles of Speech
14 January 2015
Chapter Review: Chapter Eight: “Write it Right, Say it Right” Before covering proper word use, Dowis gives a short description of what he talked about in Chapter Seven, which was about making language work. Then he talks about specific words that are commonly misused. Under each word set, he briefly describes the right and wrong usages. I think that this chapter is especially helpful, so, I think I will probably come back to it when I have questions about what word to use where. One of my pet peeves is when people say “I could care less,” in which they unknowingly imply they care a bit, so I enjoy that this book corrects that common mistake. In the middle of the chapter, Dowis takes a page and talks about words that either have Latin or Greek roots. He points out that sometimes it is hard to determine how to use singular/plural variants of these words because it doesn’t translate the best. He advises us to use data for both singular and plural regardless of the context, even though the term actually would be datum in the plural. He then also covers the words alumni, alumnus, alumnae, and alumna, which I thought was interesting because I usually just say alumni in every circumstance. I always got lost on how to use whom vs who, so I’m glad that Dowis covered this topic as well. He ends the chapter explaining the importance of using words correctly in writing a speech, especially if you are writing it for someone else. He suggests that we use a certain dictionary if we have questions and then gives us other suggestions as well. Dowis ends this chapter by talking about podium presence. He talks specifically about keeping good eye contact with the audience rather than keeping your eyes glued in your notes, something I struggle with.