The Art of Styling Sentences: 20 Patterns for Success

by Marie L. Waddell, Robert M. Esch, Roberta R. Walker

This long-time favorite among educators has been updated with timely new sentence examples. You'll discover how to recognize twenty basic sentence patterns and comprehend the fundamentals of sentence styling. In learning sentence patterns, you'll also master the conventions of grammar and punctuation, and thus avoid many common errors. New in this -Increased focus on when to use particular sentence patterns -Examples of how professional writers use these sentence patterns -more details than ever on punctuation, with helpful examples -More tips on how to analyze and critique sentences -A new essay by Charles Kuralt demonstrates effective prose A valuable classroom supplement and an indispensable desk reference book for everybody who writes.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Marie Zhuikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I good refresher even for seasoned writers.

[Jeri Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit JeriWB.com for more reviews and writing exercises.

It's too easy to fall into a writing rut where too many of your sentences start to sound the same. The Art of Styling Sentences by Waddell, Esch, and Walker provides a series of exercises that will guide you through writing sentences that fall into 20 different grammatical patterns. When appropriate, variations are given for some of the patterns, thus allowing for exposure to even more sentence variety.

This practical book endorses an imitation approach to writing. After providing a grammatical break-down of each pattern's structure, examples from professional writers follow. Then space is provided for you to complete fill in the blank patterns before finally imitating the style examples with your own original sentences. It does offer light rhetorical guidance of when to use each pattern.

Chapter One serves as a good refresher course for grammatical concepts that writers don't consciously think about as they are drafting sentences. Chapter Two contains detailed exercises over the 20 patterns. Chapter Three provides ideas and examples of how to combine the patterns together for even more variety. Chapter Four focuses on the use of figurative language. Finally, Chapter Five contains longer examples from published writers where the patterns have been labeled in the margins. A helpful punctuation appendix also serves as a good resource for reminders on why we choose various marks to create certain effects.

My first encounter with this book was in a 400-level nonfiction writing course. Upon leafing through the book I resented that the professor expected us to complete what amounted to workbook exercises. Once I gave the book a chance, I realized just how stilted some of my writing often sounded. This book will break you of some bad writerly habits and help you be more open to writing sentences outside of your usual comfort zone.

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[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Barron's Series book is a concise offering of valid patterns. Most were all familiar, but thinking of them this way could help one broaden their style. It's also a handy guide to punctuation, which I valued for its flexibility in certain situations. My copy, bought used, includes handwritten sentences filled in for all of the exercises. Some of these were quite comical, and many appeared to be intended for the good graces of whoever was grading them.

[Mark]

Poorly conceived, written, and designed, this may be the very worst book of its kind I have ever seen. I read a lot of these kinds of books (I'm a high school English teacher), and I really can't see how this semi-literate book got published in the first place. Avoid like the plague!