About the TalkPhilip spoke to a packed and enthusiastic audience about how to improve writing by taking cues from advertising. He reminded the audience that at the university level, it is not enough to know grammar. Instead, we need to recover from "clutter disease": writing long, windy sentences without focus or impact.To improve our writing he taught from successful, clever, and memorable ads and slogans. He highlighted their virtues of brevity and creativity, helping us to enter the minds native English speakers. He also suggested learning from English language sports writers and broadcasters to write and speak with enthusiasm, wit, and precision.The audience enjoyed his amusing and interesting examples and explanations, and will surely benefit from his proposed medicine to cure the "clutter disease".   Video of the talk: Make every word count: stealing the secrets of better writing from advertising 
(PN181 .Y49 2013) About the AuthorMr Philip Yeung is speechwriter to the President of HKUST and Senior Communication Manager at Public Affairs Office. He was formerly a freelance speechwriter to many Hong Kong leaders, including the current Financial Secretary and the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury. He was a frequent contributor to the South China Morning Post on English language, education and social issues. He has delivered effective writing workshops to undergraduate and postgraduate students.Mr Yeung completed his undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Toronto and studied briefly at Exeter College, Oxford University on a scholarship.For enquiry, please contact Victoria Caplan at 2358-6756.

About the BookThe DNA of English and the Art of Writing / by Philip Yeung 
(Forthcoming: Oxford University Press)There are thousands of books on writing, but this is the first to explore how "cracking the DNA of English" opens up many possibilities to write creatively. This is a book beyond grammar. It redirects our attention to the primary purpose of language learning: to write and to speak with impact.Sharing his writers point of view, Mr. Yeung explained his method that encourages you to look for the functions and patterns of language and discover what makes a piece of writing attractive.He considered issues like:What are the functional implications of English being an alphabetical language?Why do we need nouns, verbs, adjectives adverbs, and prepositions?How do sounds generated alphabetically offer possibilities for memorable writing?What areas cause non-native writers to stumble, and why?He also discussed how studying presidential speech writers helped him develop a formula for powerful writing. Whether you are a new writer or an experienced one, Mr. Yeungs talk had something to offer everyone.Power Point Presentation About the AuthorMr. Philip Yeung is speechwriter to the President of HKUST and Senior Communication Manager at the Office of University Development and Public Affairs. He was formerly a freelance speechwriter to many Hong Kong leaders, including the current Financial Secretary and the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury. He was a frequent contributor to the South China Morning Post on English language and education issues, and has delivered effective writing workshops to undergraduate and postgraduate students.Mr. Yeung completed his undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Toronto and studied briefly at Exeter College, Oxford University on a scholarship.In addition to his forthcoming book, The DNA of English and the Art of Writing, he has several other books in preparation: Winning over your Audience: The Neglected Art of Speaking with Impact, Empowerment English for the Disadvantaged, and English for Global Citizens.For enquiry, please contact Victoria Caplan at 2358-6786.