The Deluxe Transitive Vampire by Karen Elizabeth Gordon
Unlike most writing handbooks, The Deluxe Transitive Vampire is as entertaining as it is packed with repetitive and creative examples. Instead of presenting article after article, in precise text blocks, the information is structured more to get your attention. Certainly there is the need for, and the style followed for telling you what is being covered, but then there may be a woodcut print to illustrate the point.
For me, the overall most striking feature are the actual demonstrative examples, specifically the wording and terms. For example, right at the beginning of the book, under the topic Sentences, subsection The Subject, you read:
The werewolf had a toothache.
The afflicted fang caused him to wince.
Where the italicized words are the subject of the sentence.
In the subsection Adjectives, the examples include: blue blood, bashful poltergeist, and mad tea party, where the italics are the adjectives.
In creative writing we are apt to use sentences and phrases meant to grab your imagination. The example presented in this book are designed to assist in that goal. For example, in the subsection Collective Nouns, you are presented with:
The rat pack keeps its guns loaded at all times. Again, italics highlight the what is being illustrated, here, collective nouns.
Likely, as your sentence construction skills advance, you will have a diminishing need for diving into the fundamentals of how sentences are constructed. That said, this book presents what you need to know in a fashion that is actually enjoyable just sit down and read. Find a copy and look for yourself. My copy sits right on my writing work shelf with my other favorites.