Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose

316 Pages·2001·1.2 MB·English

by  Constance Hale

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