Status Updates From Sin and Syntax: How to Craf...

Pronouns. Yikes. I, we, me, myself, etc., etc. I find it never hurts to revisit what I think I know and at the very least refresh. If I come away with better clarity on one rule, that makes me happy. I'll be revisiting this chapter. Next, on to verbs...

Just finished up the section regarding seven deadly committed with nouns: sloth, gluttony, fog/smog, pretense, gobbledygook, jargon, euphemism... I have sinned and sinned well. Thought-provoking. Meditation, reflection, one Act of Contrition, and 10 Hail Mary's to follow before moving on to pronouns...

Reading on the subject of nouns. "Choosing the right noun means exploring the layers of a word." So true. "Your noun must be rich, its connotations conjuring a real of emotion or sensation." Indeed. "Sometimes nouns pinwheel around a subject, giving it a multicolored vitality." Definitely.

Just starting this. Markers in hand. Love this..."Sin and Syntax holds that the flesh of prose gets its shape and strength from the bones of grammar, and that sinfully good writing depends on understanding both the arcana of syntax and the artistry of music..." Yes, yes, yes.

Oh, the sentence! This handful of words, each with its own humble or brazen function, lies at the heart of every literary genre, every letter, memo, article, thesis, seduction, threat, and retort. In any book you handle, sentences abound. Come to think of it, what would we do without sentences, eh? ;)

I'm kind of annoyed by the over-blown prose. Hopefully Hale settles down and gives me some insight without tripping over her own wit.

Much easier to get through this as I do my physical therapy stretches!

In-flight grammatical triage.

Basically, I'm learning that you shouldn't try to sound smart; you should just write smartly, which is often quite plain.

I can't believe I'm actually *reading* a book about grammar!!