Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Vex, hex, smash, smooch : let verbs power your writing / Constance Hale.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2012.Edition: 1st edDescription: 395 p. : ill. ; 22 cmISBN:
  • 0393081168
  • 9780393081169
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction: The Power and Pizzazz of Verbs -- Me Tarzan, You Jane: The world before verbs -- Up! Cup! Tadatz! Our first sentences -- Bastard Verbs: A new angle on the Angles -- Grammar Wars: The tension between chaos and control -- I Came, I Saw, I Conquered: The dynamics of verbs -- Verb Tenses: A rose is a rose is a rose. Until it dies. Then it was a rose -- Passive Restraint: Understanding the voice of verbs -- Be There or Be Square: Time to master moods -- Predicate Etiquette: Making the back end of a sentence behave -- Verbal Dexterity: Playing with participles and other cross-dressers -- Two-Stroke Engines: Pair a verb with a particle and---presto! -- Headache Verbs: Odd usages and other sources of confusion -- Epilogue : Got Style? -- Appendix 1 : Chomp---or, um, Chomsky---on this -- Appendix 2 : Each of these cases are complicated. Is complicated? -- Appendix 3 : When it comes to dictionaries, be polygamous -- Appendix 4 : Those sneaky irregular verbs -- Appendix 5 : Phrasal verbs: What's up, what's down -- Appendix 6: More migraines.
Summary: Helps aspiring writers understand the importance of using powerful verbs in their work through examples of brilliant writing and presents a linguistic history to demonstrate how language and writing has evolved over time.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 808.042 H161 Available 33111009637014
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Writers know it instinctively: Verbs make a sentence zing. Grammar gurus agree: Drama in writing emerges from the interplay of a subject (noun) and a predicate (verb). Constance Hale, the best-selling author of Sin and Syntax, zooms in on the colorful world of verbs. Synthesizing the pedagogical and the popular, the scholarly and the scandalous, Hale combines the wit of Bill Bryson with the practical wisdom of William Zinsser. She marches through linguistic history to paint a layered picture of our language--from before it really existed to the quirky usages we see online today. She warns about habits to avoid and inspires with samples of brilliant writing. A veteran teacher, Hale gives writing prompts along the way, helping readers "try, do, write, play." Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch guides us to more powerful writing by demonstrating how to use great verbs with style.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: The Power and Pizzazz of Verbs -- Me Tarzan, You Jane: The world before verbs -- Up! Cup! Tadatz! Our first sentences -- Bastard Verbs: A new angle on the Angles -- Grammar Wars: The tension between chaos and control -- I Came, I Saw, I Conquered: The dynamics of verbs -- Verb Tenses: A rose is a rose is a rose. Until it dies. Then it was a rose -- Passive Restraint: Understanding the voice of verbs -- Be There or Be Square: Time to master moods -- Predicate Etiquette: Making the back end of a sentence behave -- Verbal Dexterity: Playing with participles and other cross-dressers -- Two-Stroke Engines: Pair a verb with a particle and---presto! -- Headache Verbs: Odd usages and other sources of confusion -- Epilogue : Got Style? -- Appendix 1 : Chomp---or, um, Chomsky---on this -- Appendix 2 : Each of these cases are complicated. Is complicated? -- Appendix 3 : When it comes to dictionaries, be polygamous -- Appendix 4 : Those sneaky irregular verbs -- Appendix 5 : Phrasal verbs: What's up, what's down -- Appendix 6: More migraines.

Helps aspiring writers understand the importance of using powerful verbs in their work through examples of brilliant writing and presents a linguistic history to demonstrate how language and writing has evolved over time.

Powered by Koha