Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Self-help, personal development & practical advice

25 GREAT SENTENCES

Geraldine Woods

And How They Got That Way

A must-read guide for curious readers and aspiring writers that examines what makes a sentence sing.

Stephen King. Toni Morrison. Bob Dylan. Jack Kerouac. Yoda. These are just a handful of the writers and speakers whose words are parsed in this diverting romp through sentences culled from poems, essays, speeches, songs, fiction, and film.

In chapters titled for distinctive features, master teacher Geraldine Woods deftly reveals the underlying craft that goes into the creation of a memorable sentence. Literature lovers will be delighted to discover new authors and revisit favorite passages from a fresh perspective. And writers who want to stretch their skills by following the prompts in each chapter may well find themselves feeling as Henry James did when he wrote, "I have many irons in the fire, and am bursting with writableness."

This is a must-read book for any register of grammar-bound, sentence-diagramming analysis who wants to understand the art that lifts a sentence from good to great.

Geraldine Woods is a former educator and the author of more than 50 books, including English Grammar for Dummies, which has been translated into ten languages.

Available products
Book Published 2020-08-18 by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. - New York (USA)

Comments

As a high school English teacher, this volume gives me exactly what I want my students to have in mind as they read and write. Woods considers structure, sound, grammar, diction... she deconstructs and explains, and then sends readers out to construct and create on their own. Thought-provoking... Woods had me revisiting texts that I've taught before as well as thinking about my own writing process. This is a book I will be using in class, for sure!

Geraldine Woods is the awesome teacher you had in high school and wanted to keep for life. It's no surprise that she crafted an engaging, instructive manual for self-proclaimed 'word nerds' and those who aspire to write like them. If you want to enhance your confidence and craft as a writer, this is your book.

There's not a dull moment in this collection. Woods's selection of sentences is both varied and surprising, her analyses refreshing and illuminating, with sources like Virginia Woolf or John F. Kennedy. Have you ever needed a book without knowing it, until it's in your hands? 25 Great Sentences is that book. You'll savor it. You'll pick it up again and again.

Woods avoids literary jargon and carefully explains terms that might be unfamiliar to non-specialist readers...A practical, non-boring companion for writers aiming to hone their style.

This handy, practical guide prompts would-be writers to think critically about how to create effective and meaningful sentences. ... This volume should be helpful for students, and older readers will recall memories of favorite English teachers leading them through the intricacies of writing.

Geraldine Woods gives new meaning to the term 'topic sentence' by turning the sentence itself into the topic. Using hundreds of examples from writers as diverse as Bruce Springsteen and Virginia Woolf, she articulates the precise ways in which a writer can send a sentence spinning. This book will give anyone who opens it a new appreciation for the glories of syntax, which can only increase one's capacity for creating them.

Finally, someone who appreciates the engine of a fine sentence and isn't afraid to tinker with all the parts! As Geraldine Woods write in her intro-duction: 'A sentence is ... the smallest element differentiating one writer's style from another's.' Her guidance will be so useful for anyone who enjoys writing and wants to take it all to the next level

Geraldine Woods breaks down 25 of the greatest sentences in the history of the written word and obsesses over them in a way that writers and nonwriters can appreciate.

Culling examples of 'beautiful, creative, or resonant' sentences from a variety of sources - fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, song lyrics, speeches - Woods considers what makes 'form and meaning work together, in synergy.' Sentences by Maya Angelou, James Joyce, Jack Kerouac, Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf, and others are juxtaposed with those by Neil Armstrong, John F. Kennedy, and even Yoda from Star Wars, grouped according to their distinctive features: structure, diction, sound, connection/comparison, and extremes. The result is a delightfully readable examination of the foundation of literary architecture for writers and language enthusiasts alike.