Sin and Syntax : How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose

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Summary: Light and Fun Way to Brush up on Grammar
Review: This book is a basic grammar guide for those of us who may have been out of school for a while, but it's as much about writing style as it is about grammar. The reason I like this book so much is because it is filled with a range of writing examples, from remarkable to awful. The examples of bad grammar, many taken from students papers, had me laughing out loud. The only thing this book is lacking is a reference section where you can easily look up grammatical terms, although the index is thorough. I personally didn't miss a reference section though. This is the sort of light, readable book I wanted.

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Summary: unbelievable--a grammar book that's fun to read!
Review: 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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Summary: This precious book...
Review: This book will lure you into thinking like a writer. If you are the type of person who enjoys playing with your food, read a few pages of Hale's gorgeous little book and explore the many ways to go on about your mailbox.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Book
Review: This is a good book. I learned a lot. My writing style is better.

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Summary: Fun reading even for grammar know-it-alls
Review: 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.