Art of Styling Sentences

by Ann Longknife Ph.D., K.D. Sullivan

Overview

A must-have for any student or aspiring writer, this book reviews the fundamentals of good sentence structure: Conventions of writing style change in subtle ways with passing years—a fact that prompts the need for periodic revisions of books like this one. The authors review the fundamentals of good sentence structure and then go on to describe twenty basic sentence patterns that encompass virtually every effective way of writing sentences in English. They also draw on passages by current prominent writers, using these examples to show how varying rhythm and sentence patterns can result in elegant writing styles that keep their readers interested. Exercises with answers and explanations appear throughout the text. Overflowing with practical and useful advice, this little gem will change the way people write.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438083353
Publisher:	Barrons Educational Services
Publication date:	06/20/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	233,780
File size:	2 MB

Table of Contents

Preface v

Introduction vi

Suggestions for the Instructor viii

Suggestions for teaching Chapter 1 viii

Suggestions for teaching Chapter 2-the patterns viii

Suggestions for the Student xii

How to get the most from this book xii

Marginalia: to encourage deliberate craftsmanship xiii

A paragraph analyzing a simile in poetry xv

A paragraph defining a term xvi

1 The Sentence 1

What exactly is a sentence? 1

Some helpful references 5

2 The Twenty Patterns 6

Now let's make sentences grow … 6

Compound constructions 6

Pattern 1 Compound sentence with semicolon and no conjunction 7

Pattern 1a Compound sentence with conjunctive adverb (connector) 10

Pattern 1b Compound sentence with coordinating conjunction (also connector) 12

Pattern 1c Compound sentence with two or more semicolons 14

Pattern 2 Compound sentence with elliptical construction 15

Pattern 3 Compound sentence with explanatory statement 18

Sentences with series 21

Pattern 4 A series without a conjunction 22

Pattern 4a A series with a variation 26

Pattern 5 A series of balanced pairs 30

Pattern 6 An introductory series of appositives 33

Pattern 7 An internal series of appositives or modifiers 37

Pattern 7a A variation: a single appositive or a pair 40

Pattern 8 Dependent clauses in a pair or in a series 43

Repetitions 47

Pattern 9 Repetition of a key term 49

Pattern 9a A variation: same word repeated in parallel structure 53

Pattern 10 Emphatic appositive at end, after a colon 56

Pattern 10a A variation: appositive after a dash 60

Modifiers 64

Pattern 11 Interrupting modifier between S and V 65

Pattern 11a A full sentence as interrupting modifier 69

Pattern 12 Introductory or concluding participles 73

Pattern 13 A single modifier out of place for emphasis 77

Inversions 80

Pattern 14 Prepositional phrase before S and V 81

Pattern 15 Object or complement before S and V 84

Pattern 15a Complete inversion of normal pattern 86

An assortment of patterns 89

Pattern 16 Paired constructions 89

Pattern 16a A paired construction for contrast only 93

Pattern 17 Dependent clause as subject or object or complement 97

Pattern 18 Absolute construction anywhere in sentence 100

Pattern 19 The short, simple sentence for relief or dramatic effect 103

Pattern 19a A short question for dramatic effect 105

Pattern 20 The deliberate fragment 108

3 Sentences Grow 111

Style 111

Combining the patterns-ten ways 112

Expanding sentences 117

Myths about coordinators 119

A sentence with special emphasis: the periodic sentence 122

4 Figurative Language in Sentences 124

Figures of speech 124

Allusion 124

Analogy 125

Hyperbole and understatement 127

Irony 128

Metaphor 128

Personification 130

Simile 130

Further reading 131

5 The Twenty Patterns-In Print 132

"Tough Country," from C. L. Sonnichsen's Tularosa 132

Excerpt from Arthur Schlesinger's A Thousand Days 139

"Two Ways of Seeing a River," Mark Twain (1835-1910) 143

Appendix 145

Punctuation 145

Suggested review questions 153

Miscellaneous questions 156

Index 157