Sin and Syntax
How to Craft Wicked Good Prose
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A fully revised and updated edition with writing prompts and challenges in every chapter
Today’s writers need more spunk than Strunk: whether it's the Great American e-mail, Madison Avenue advertising, or Grammy Award-winning rap lyrics, memorable writing must jump off the page. Copy veteran Constance Hale is on a mission to make creative communication, both the lyrical and the unlawful, an option for everyone.
With its crisp, witty tone, Sin and Syntax covers grammar’s ground rules while revealing countless unconventional syntax secrets (such as how to use—Gasp!—interjections or when to pepper your prose with slang) that make for sinfully good writing. Discover how to:
*Distinguish between words that are “pearls” and words that are “potatoes”
* Avoid “couch potato thinking” and “commitment phobia” when choosing verbs
* Use literary devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, and metaphor (and understand what you're doing)
Everyone needs to know how to write stylish prose—students, professionals, and seasoned writers alike. Whether you’re writing to sell, shock, or just sing, Sin and Syntax—now celebrating 20 years in print—is the guide you need to improve your command of the English language.
Customer Reviews
Great info. Great read.
This book is fun to read and educational to boot.
The World Is New Again
I had been in sort of a slump for the past couple of years. My marriage was falling apart, my kids were against me, I lost my job, my budget was tight, my dog died, I crashed my car, and I had just gotten kicked off my local basketball team. I didn't think I could go on, and then I found "Sin and Syntax." Let me tell you, this book changed my life. "Sin and Syntax" will teach you grammar in such a boring, contradictory way that you won't be able to put it down. After reading this book, my wife and kids came back to me once I began to speak to them in large, unknown words they could not understand. I corrected the verb usage on my termination letter and in turn was rehired with a promotion. I bought a new dog and a new car and after shouting my grammar knowledge at my former teammates from the sidelines, they decided to take me back and name me team captain. Buy this book, and live the life you have always imagined.