Constance Hale. Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose. Revised & Updated. Three Rivers Press, 2013. See here to purchase the book.
Constance Hale is a journalist and an author. This book is about how
to craft effective prose. As the back cover states, “mere devotion to
grammar commandments won’t make your prose shine.”
Here are some thoughts:
A. On the one hand, Hale promotes an economy of words: getting rid of
all those distracting adverbs, for example! Use a simple word like
“use” rather than “utilization”! Hale is also critical of being so
formal as to sound pompous, by, say, using “one” as a subject rather
than “you” (i.e., “one must do such-and-such”). On the other hand, Hale
wants writers to be imaginative and creative about the words that they
do choose to use, as opposed to being banal. The prose that she
advocates does not just tell but shows, enabling readers to see or to
feel what is being described.
B. Hale overlaps with other writing manuals in that she encourages
writers to keep their prose simple. At the same time, she qualifies the
advice of other writing manuals, as when she states that writing manuals
are often correct to discourage the use of the passive voice, but that
in some cases the passive voice is appropriate.
C. Hale is sometimes a stickler for grammar, and at other times she
is more liberal, as in her discussion about whether a writer can end a
sentence with a preposition.
D. The book has a lot of political references. Political junkies like
me will appreciate that! She even has a sarcastic comment about Donald
Trump, before he became a politician.
E. In some cases, Hale could be dismissive, and I rolled my eyes at
her corny put-downs of others’ prose, even as I understood why she was
criticizing it.
F. The book confirmed something that I have long suspected, and that
is that some of the rules that students are taught in school can hinder
effective prose. For example, I have often felt as if I have to qualify
everything that I say to avoid generalizations or misrepresentations of
people’s position. Thus, I use what Hale calls “wimp verbs,” namely,
“seem” and “appear.” The problem with this is that readers gravitate
towards prose that manifests conviction and a sense of authority.
G. Hale shows what effective prose looks like and explains why it is
effective. The book is not as helpful in explaining how writers can
become imaginative enough to write it, however. It does not provide much
of a road map.
H. I think that there is a place for formal prose, especially in
academic writing. Formal prose—-as is four or five syllable words—-can
command respect. But, even then, there is a place for getting rid of
disruptive jargon.