To succeed in law, business, education, government, health care, and many other fields, it is becoming increasingly important to distinguish yourself as a savvy communicator. Social media has only accelerated the ways in which we all must learn to use our words to connect, compete, and create. There are features of the English language, however, that many of us haven’t taken full advantage of yet. Notes on Nuance is designed to help change that.
Drawing on a diverse collection of authors—from novelists to physicists, from ancient Greek historians to modern-day CEOs—it reveals the hidden mechanics that skilled writers use to add style and sophistication to their sentences and slogans. It’s the perfect resource for people who are looking to do more with their written words.
This book includes materials from a popular course called “Good with Words: Writing and Editing” that Professor Patrick Barry created at both the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Chicago Law School. An online version of that course is now available through the educational platform Coursera.

An All-American soccer player in college who has both a PhD in English and a JD, Professor Barry is the author of Good with Words: Writing and Editing as well as the series The Syntax of Sports. He has won several teaching awards, including the Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Prize, the Wayne Booth Prize for Teaching Excellence, and the Outstanding Research Mentor Award. He also regularly works with law firms, state governments, and nonprofit organizations to improve their written and spoken advocacy.