it at the time, but I was developing key skills of style. The book Everything's an Argument has this to say about style: "Even a well-shaped and coherent argument flush with evidence may not connect with readers if it is written in a dull, inappropriate way. . ." Some characteristics of style as described by the course sylabus are tone, register, punctuation, mechanics, spelling choice, and grammar. While I will not touch on every single characteristic, I do feel that one specific factor of my development of style is tone. It's what makes writing and reading enjoyable to me. My teachers through high school always commented on how they could instantly recognize my writing assignments from my peers. I even had a teacher who announced in class that what differentiates me from every other student in the room is that my writing doesn't bore him to tears. I feel this is the affect of tone. I try to relate to the reader in the most unassuming way possible. In my essays, even academic ones, I try to keep the atmosphere "light" and enjoyable. Far too many times while reading academic essays I find myself being "talked down too", or lectured. I think the most effective means of transmitting an idea is through conversation, not lecturing because the idea can be infused in the reader's thinking instead of forced. This really does lead to a better understanding, in my opinion. Other aspects of style may be grammar, spelling, word choice, and many other things. The fantastic thing about style is that all of the contained characteristics move and influence each other. For example my sense of grammar influences my word choice and punctuation. I read a lot of poetry in high school, including great writers like T. S. Eliot, E. E. Cummings, and even great rock poets including
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