Stunning Sentences

by Bruce Ross-Larson

Whether you are composing a Web page on the Internet or agonizing over an annual budget report, these books are the key to clarity, accuracy, and economy in any writing task. Offers more than 100 model sentence types in a catalog format, giving writers many interesting and provocative ways to say what they mean. Writers looking for a more striking way to open a sentence will find these options: the announcement, the editorial opening, the opening appositive, the opening absolute, and the conjunction opening, among others. Examples of each sentence type ensure the reader's understanding of the concepts.

Genres: Writing

Paperback

First published July 17, 1999

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never has a book’s name fit do well. Larson’s little book is worth its weight in Gold.

[Austin Neaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Stunning Sentences" by Bruce Ross-Larson is about one thing: Impact.

Everyone can write a sentence, but not everyone can write a good (or stunning) sentence. This book is short on explanation - and long on examples. And that's a good thing too. Examples are the easiest way to show how the tools of a sentence work.

Here are a few (of the best) examples from the book:

1.) Using a short declarative sentence to end a paragraph or idea is an excellent way to make a point.

"It's not that publishers are irrational or corrupt. They're just cursed."

As opposed to the less effective (but still correct)...

"It's not that publishers are irrational or corrupt. Instead, it is because they are cursed."

2.) Dropping the conjunction: Sometimes dropping a conjunction can improve a sentence by creating a sentence that shows endless possibilities. Here is an example:

"It is not merely gems that De Beers is selling, but symbols, myths, magic."

as opposed to the less effective (but still correct)...

"It is not merely gems that De Beers is selling, but symbols, myths, and magic."

3.) Adding alliteration (or assonance) will makes the ordinary sound poetic. Here is an example:

"Does the quaint quality of quondam make you quiver? (I don't even know what quondam means, but I want to look it up, especially after the word quiver).

You would still want to ask yourself: Do I want to sound poetic? You might not.

These are just a few of the examples in the book. If you are interested in improving your sentences, this book can help. And it's short (Starts on page 20 and ends on page 80). It can take a while to read because each point is something to think about (but that's a good thing).

I would give it 8 out of 10 (10 being great).

Originally reviewed on my blog at http://www.AustinJamesHere.blogspot.com

[Hannah Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my mentor suggested that I work on varyiing my sentence structure I looked for a quick reference that wouldn’t bore me to death. I found this in the bookstore and read this on the treadmill in two days. The clear and simple examples and instruction really influenced and encouraged me to play around with sentence variation both critical and creative work. It explained and elaborated on the idea of rhythm in your writing.

[Todd Brown]

Great for anyone who does any regular writing.

[Eric Durso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, without anything new.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine.