05-11-2014, 07:31 AM
In order to more thoroughly eschew the rhetorical (
), you'll find Hayakawa's Ladder of Abstraction very useful. Essentially, the most successful writers tend to draw heavily from the lower levels:-
), you'll find Hayakawa's Ladder of Abstraction very useful. Essentially, the most successful writers tend to draw heavily from the lower levels:-Quote:Level 4: ABSTRACTIONS
Eg. beauty, love, life, time, success, power, happiness, faith, hope, charity, evil, good
Level 3: NOUN CLASSES -- BROAD GROUP NAMES WITH LITTLE SPECIFICATION
Eg. people, men, women, young people, everybody, nobody, industry, we, goals, things, television
Level 2: NOUN CATEGORIES -- MORE DEFINITE GROUPS
Eg. teenagers, middle class, clothing industry, parents, college campus, newborn child, TV comedies, house plants
Level 1: SPECIFIC, IDENTIFIABLE NOUNS
Eg. My blue Levi 501s, Skittles commercials, mum's philodendron, my new baby sister Frogbottom
It could be worse