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Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose [Paperback]

Constance Hale (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You gotta love a grammar guide that calls verbs "moody little suckers" and adverbs "promiscuous." Constance Hale (Wired Style) relishes prose that is deliberate, beautiful, and bold. Go ahead and break the rules, she says; just know the rules first, and know why you are breaking them. In Sin & Syntax, Hale examines the elements of grammar from four angles: the "bones" (the grammar lesson), the "flesh" (the writing lesson), "cardinal sins" (what she calls "true transgressions"), and "carnal pleasures" (the beauty that results from either "hew[ing] exquisitely to the underlying codes of language," or not).

For illustration, Hale hails Walt Whitman and Roger Angell, and rails upon Alexander Haig and the Gump's catalogue. She hauls in Joan Didion to make a case for writing in the first person, Mark Twain to promote the killing of adjectives, C.S. Lewis to advocate showing rather than telling, and Loudon Wainwright III to lament the abuse of the word like. But Hale has no problem making her own points. "Euphemisms," she says, "are for wimps." She dismisses a particularly heinous example of scholarly prose as "a bunch of big words thrown into an Osterizer." Even other grammarians don't escape her derision: "Get a grip," Hale says. "Hopefully as a sentence adverb is here to stay." But what distinguishes Sin and Syntax most is its enthusiasm for prose that takes risks. "Even if you have to check with a lawyer," says Hale, "isn't a kick-ass piece of writing worth the effort?" --Jane Steinberg --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Hale, editor of the hip Wired Style (LJ 10/1/96), has put together a writing/grammar manual that is fresh and fun. The basic rules are here, and they are well explained. The "sin" from the title is partly advice on when and how to break these rules. The other sins are examples of oft-repeated mistakes. Readers will not be told how to write a novel, a poem, or a newspaper article, but if they are writing one this guide will help them use effective and artful language. The examples range from Dr. Seuss books to John F. Kennedy's speeches to commercials, and a short bibliography of books on writing, grammar, and language is included. Easy to understand and appealing to a broad range of readers, this book is highly recommend for all libraries.ALisa J. Cihlar, Monroe P.L., WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway (March 20, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767903099
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767903097
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #19,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #99 in  Books > Reference > Words & Language > Rhetoric

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Constance Hale
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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What would a grammar book be if it didn't lounge around in a little Latin? Read the first page
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dynamic verbs, subordinate conjunctions, blah blah blah blah blah
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Cardinal Sins, New Yorker, Mark Twain, New York Times, San Francisco, White House, Richard Lederer, William Safire, Garland Bunting, George Orwell, Ronald Reagan, Silicon Valley, Anguished English, David Mamet, George Bush, King James Bible, North Carolina, Peggy Noonan, Virginia Woolf, Alexander Haig, Bill Clinton, Bolivian Marching Powder, Elizabeth Taylor, Gare du Nord, Hank Williams
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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun reading even for grammar know-it-alls, May 24, 2001
By Andrew Rasanen (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose (Hardcover)
Well structured, as it must be, Hale's guide presents both the nuts and bolts of grammar and the considerations of style that cannot exist without a sound grasp of grammar. The book begins each section simply, with the "bones" of the part of speech being explained, puts on the "flesh," and elucidates the "cardinal sins" and the "carnal pleasures" of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and so on. Even when the going gets heavy, as in her discussions of attributive nouns or appositive phrases, her clear, conversational tone smooths the way. She concludes with reflections about voice, lyricism, melody, and rhythm. One of the best features of her book is a glut of choice passages from the likes of Nabokov, Joan Didion, George Orwell, Jamaica Kincaid, and many others. Her well-read reach extends to rap lyrics and the wine labels written by the flip, clever copywriters at Bonny Doon Vineyards. The collection of quotations alone makes this book worth owning. At times the tone is slightly uneven, as when she follows a serious discussion of rules with the casual use of words like "gonna" and "wimps" (apparently she has a reputation for being hip to uphold), and she includes sentence diagrams without really explaining how they operate. Her advice to "go ahead and be ungrammatical if it feels right" may make some sticklers swoon. But these are minor flaws in a manual that is useful for beginners and seasoned writers alike. You close the book understanding how the rich inventiveness of English is rooted in its complex grammar and vocabulary, which are the reasons it can be so flexible, so magical -- the reason, in fact, that language creates reality. Includes a helpful appendix describing other grammar guides.
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars unbelievable--a grammar book that's fun to read!, September 30, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose (Hardcover)
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I have to admit that I was at first reluctant to pick it up. But I do like to write, and I figured that there might be some helpful information in the book for me. I was SO SURPRISED to find that I was actually enjoying reading the book! Hale's writing is so fun, and the examples she uses are great. You can tell from the title--SIN AND SYNTAX: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose--that this is going to be more exciting than Strunk and White, which I suffered through in high school. Not only will it help you improve your writing--with real world application for careers and the like, not just for students--but you'll have fun reading. Believe it.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must-Read" for every writer!, May 29, 2000
By scherf.com "scherf.com" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose (Hardcover)
This book is probably one of the best grammar books out there, and it is absolutely a "Must-Read" for every writer (fiction and nonfiction, also journalists should read through it). The author is clear and precise in her explanations of grammatical concepts and possibilities, and she makes grammar fun. Some conventional approaches to grammar are challenged in this book, but the author Constance Hale--who currently teaches at U.C. Berkeley--is a qualified professional in her field. She's a maverick and she offers a healthy dose of motivation to be creative with your use of grammar in the new millenium. This book can really help to equip a writer with this certain edge in his or her writing projects.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Just Not Very Good
Tries hard, cute concept, but ultimately just isn't very good. You're better off with either of Karen Elizabeth Gordon's books, which are both excellent.
Published 1 month ago by WS

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable!
Truly a unique writing/grammar guide, and an enjoyable read as well. It's no surprise that 90%+ of the raters gave this 5-stars. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Phillip Schwarzmann

5.0 out of 5 stars wicked
This is an awesome book on the art, in the truest sense of the word, of writing.

Down with ugly syntax!! Read more
Published 8 months ago by carynification

5.0 out of 5 stars Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose
Book was just what the Professor wanted for class. Great condition and received it on time. Everything is good.
Published 10 months ago by Marie J. Erwin

5.0 out of 5 stars Constance Hale is the BEST!
THis book has helped me immeasurably! I can't recommend it enough. It should be used in classrooms, elementary-college, as a guide to creative writing.
Published 11 months ago by Stacey Urhammer

5.0 out of 5 stars book review
This product came in good condition and was sent in a timely manner. I would do business with them again.
Published 13 months ago by D. Odonnell

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets The Smudges Off your Paper
This book has been of inestimable value to me. As one lonely scribe, scribbling his first efforts of grafitti on the wall of life, I cannot say enough good things about it--- only... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Doc Edwards

5.0 out of 5 stars The bones, flesh, sins, and pleasures of prose
Dangling modifiers. Loose pronouns. Mixed metaphors. Sentence fragments . . . aw crap.

Whatever your sin, Sin and Syntax is an all-purpose grammar guide that helps... Read more
Published on August 24, 2008 by Shannon

5.0 out of 5 stars I've bought 5 copies of this book over the last 5 years
My sister stole my first copy, my other sister stole my second copy, I gave my third copy to a friend (but only because I knew she would love it as much as I do). Read more
Published on June 19, 2008 by C. Newman

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, poor quality control
This is a fine book about the mechanics of writing. Here's the rub. Appendix 1 and 2 were replaced by duplicates of chapters 14 and 15 in the book I read. Read more
Published on March 16, 2008 by Sam Makkosta

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