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  3. The Syntax of Sports, Class 1: The Words Under the Words

The Syntax of Sports, Class 1: The Words Under the Words

Patrick Barry
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  • Overview

  • Contents

The Syntax of Sports is that course you wish you took in college—even if you aren’t a sports fan. It’s interesting. It’s practical. It’s inspiring. And best of all, it teaches you a skill that is at once highly marketable and potentially transforming: how to become a better thinker and writer.

The beginning of a multi-volume series, this initial book recreates the first day of class as it was taught to undergraduates at the University of Michigan. The examples are compelling. The dialogue is fast moving. The stories are ones you’ll want to return to and retell over and over again. There is a reason the actual students who took The Syntax of Sports said the following things about it:

“Every class I learned something new that I know I’ll actually use in my writing for years to come. Couldn’t be happier that I took a chance on Syntax of Sports.”

“Prof. Barry has structured the course so that it’s almost impossible not to learn something valuable to take with you to future classes and future career possibilities.”

“I have learned a ton of techniques for being a better writer in this class. I have also learned many life lessons that will undoubtedly guide how I act in the future.”

“I absolutely loved this course because the teacher was so awesome. I enjoyed sitting through class listening to Professor Barry and falling in love with his brain.”

  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright Page
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Author’s Note
  • Acknowledgments
  • Class Roster
  • 1. America’s Team
  • 2. Good Writing
  • 3. The Ouch-Back Bowl
  • 4. Clowney
  • 5. Audience and Function
  • 6. Thrilling
  • 7. Writing, Fast and Slow
  • 8. Italy Won, France Lost
  • 9. Losing Gold
  • 10. Winning Silver
  • 11. Hillary Clinton’s Husband
  • 12. Harvard vs. Yale
  • 13. The Hills
  • 14. Hollywood
  • 15. White House
  • 16. Chaos
  • 17. Stuns
  • 18. Preserves
  • 19. Order Out of Chaos
  • 20. Poetry
  • 21. Most Distilled and Most Powerful
  • 22. Flaubert
  • 23. Le Mot Juste
  • 24. Second Cousin
  • 25. A Tale of Two Bobbys
  • 26. Hey, Knight, What’s Up?
  • 27. When God Started Playing Right Field
  • 28. Jose DiMaggio
  • 29. The Wise Latina
  • 30. Homer in Birkenstocks
  • 31. Verbal Uniform
  • 32. Being a Professional
  • 33. All Football Comes from Stagg
  • 34. Pack a Pillow
  • 35. Bunk Bed
  • 36. Perspective-Taking
  • 37. Scottie
  • 38. Joseph M. Williams
  • 39. Malpractice or Mal-patient
  • 40. Nobody Has a Monopoly on Effective Language
  • 41. Michael King Day
  • 42. Trying Is Cool
  • 43. Buddy Ryan
  • 44. Writing Is a Superpower
  • 45. WISP and Making the Most of What You Have
  • 46. Adam Grant
  • 47. Clean Hands
  • 48. The Infinite Power of Grammar
  • 49. James Joyce
  • 50. Hieroglyphics
  • 51. Neil Gaiman, Mark Twain, and Wiel Coerver
  • 52. To Name Is to Know and Remember
  • 53. Positive No
  • 54. Only as Good as Your Writing
  • Notes
  • Photo Credits
Citable Link
Published: 2019
Publisher: Maize Books
Copyright: 2019
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license
ISBN(s)
  • 978-1-60785-576-7 (open access)
  • 978-1-60785-507-1 (paper)
  • 978-1-60785-508-8 (ebook)
Series
  • The Syntax of Sports
Subject
  • Language Arts & Disciplines: Editing & Proofreading
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