Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose PDF
Preview Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose
ALSO BY CONSTANCE HALE WIRED STYLE: PRINCIPLES OF ENGLISH USAGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE Copyright © 1999 by Constance Hale All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Broadway Books, an imprint of the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in 1999. Subsequently published in paperback in the United States by Broadway Books, an imprint of the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., in 2001. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hale, Constance. Sin and syntax: how to craft w ickedly effective prose / by Constance Hale; with a foreword by Karen Elizabeth Gordon.—1st ed. p. cm. 1. English language—Rhetori c. 2. Creative writing. 3. Report writing. I. Title. PE1408.H299 1999 99-13591 808′.042—dc21 eISBN: 978-0-7679-0892-4 v3.1_r1 To Madeleine Carter Mayher, who gave me her love of the mother tongue. Acknowledgments T his book, more than most, reflects the energies not of one author but of many creative misbehavers. My thanks go first to all the writers whose words you’ll see within these covers. In casting my net wide for examples of wicked and winning syntax, I was helped by many language scamps, including Martha Baer, Wallace Baine, Frank Clancy, Alex Frankel, Mark Frauenfelder, Jesse Freund, Sam Kane, Tim McGee, Keris Salmon, Brad Wieners, and Gary Wolf. Wallace Baine, especially, came through in spades. My researcher, Julie Greenberg, proved she could track down anything—even an almost forgotten 1969 Jell-O commercial. She also sent many useful surprises my way. Meri Brin was unbeatable on the Web and BBS beat. I have half a mind to stand in front of the San Francisco Main Library singing the praises of its reference desk—but the competition for a corner of Civic Center sidewalk is so fierce I’ll keep my encomiums here. In particular, I thank Renée Tarshis and Peter Warhit, whose unbridled curiosity and unrelenting helpfulness are shared by their fellow librarians. Friends and colleagues read parts of the manuscript and saved me from most of my own excesses. Gifted wordsmiths all, Jessie Scanlon, Hollis Heimbouch, Emily McManus, Micki Esken-Meland, and Mary Beth Protomastro were especially generous with the juice. I’m not sure which is more dangerous— Jessie Scanlon’s withering wit or her purple pen. Many thanks to my editor at Broadway Books, Suzanne Oaks, who has made me look good, and to Lisa Olney. The book also benefited greatly from the guidance of Matthew Martin and from the attentions of its copy editor, Rosalie Wieder, and its designer, Pei Loi Koay. I owe a special debt to Karen Elizabeth Gordon. She first sent me spinning in 1984, when I bought her Transitive Vampire; in the past year she became mentor as well as muse, offering me an emergency writing table in the hills, Bariani olive oil, and a couple of killer line edits. Not to mention a foreword! Also in the special-debt department is my agent, Wendy Lipkind. This book would not have happened without her. My aunt and godmother, Eleanor Mayher Hackett, started giving me books of poetry before I could talk, and she read my manuscript with the kind of unconditional enthusiasm only an aunt can offer. I am lucky to have her. And finally, I must thank Bruce Lowell Bigelow, who knows all my sins. Contents Cover Other Books by This Author Title Page Copyright Dedication Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction PART 1 WORDS Chapter 1 Nouns Chapter 2 Pronouns Chapter 3 Verbs Chapter 4 Adjectives Chapter 5 Adverbs Chapter 6 Prepositions Chapter 7 Conjunctions Chapter 8 Interjections PART 2 SENTENCES Chapter 9 The Subject, the Predicate Chapter 10 Simple Sentences Chapter 11 Phrases and Clauses Chapter 12 Sentence Variety PART 3 MUSIC Chapter 13 Voice Chapter 14 Lyricism Chapter 15 Melody Chapter 16 Rhythm Epilogue Appendix 1. Let’s Get Tense Appendix 2. Moods and ’tudes Appendix 3. Books and Bookmarks Permissions About the Author Foreword
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