--- product_id: 3718369 title: "Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose" price: "SAR 69" currency: SAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3718369-sin-and-syntax-how-to-craft-wicked-good-prose store_origin: SA region: Saudi Arabia --- # Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose **Price:** SAR 69 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose - **How much does it cost?** SAR 69 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.sa](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3718369-sin-and-syntax-how-to-craft-wicked-good-prose) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A fully revised and updated edition with writing prompts and challenges in every chapter Today’s writers need more spunk than Strunk: whether it's the Great American e-mail, Madison Avenue advertising, or Grammy Award-winning rap lyrics, memorable writing must jump off the page. Copy veteran Constance Hale is on a mission to make creative communication, both the lyrical and the unlawful, an option for everyone. With its crisp, witty tone, Sin and Syntax covers grammar’s ground rules while revealing countless unconventional syntax secrets (such as how to use—Gasp!—interjections or when to pepper your prose with slang) that make for sinfully good writing. Discover how to: *Distinguish between words that are “pearls” and words that are “potatoes” * Avoid “couch potato thinking” and “commitment phobia” when choosing verbs * Use literary devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, and metaphor (and understand what you're doing) Everyone needs to know how to write stylish prose—students, professionals, and seasoned writers alike. Whether you’re writing to sell, shock, or just sing, Sin and Syntax—now celebrating 20 years in print—is the guide you need to improve your command of the English language. Review: Excellent resource - This book is excellent for a writer or someone wanting clarification in writing correct and accurate sentences. This is a non-fiction book and the title does not refer to sin. I recommend this book for any author, or English teacher. It's also a great resource. I used it for my graduate class in writing. Review: Amazingly pithy, helpful, and specific - This book is a delight. Its advice is extremely specific and easy to apply, and it works wonders. It's full of clear and usually clever examples to make its lessons clear and easy to understand. I teach writing and I write professionally, and I return to this book every year. Great for novices and advanced writers alike. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #57,686 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #28 in Creative Writing Composition #52 in Words, Language & Grammar Reference #87 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 341 Reviews | ## Images ![Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wicked Good Prose - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81S8HBtql1L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent resource *by S***N on February 23, 2024* This book is excellent for a writer or someone wanting clarification in writing correct and accurate sentences. This is a non-fiction book and the title does not refer to sin. I recommend this book for any author, or English teacher. It's also a great resource. I used it for my graduate class in writing. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazingly pithy, helpful, and specific *by L***N on July 14, 2021* This book is a delight. Its advice is extremely specific and easy to apply, and it works wonders. It's full of clear and usually clever examples to make its lessons clear and easy to understand. I teach writing and I write professionally, and I return to this book every year. Great for novices and advanced writers alike. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sin and Syntax *by J***E on March 19, 2019* 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. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3718369-sin-and-syntax-how-to-craft-wicked-good-prose](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/3718369-sin-and-syntax-how-to-craft-wicked-good-prose) --- *Product available on Desertcart Saudi Arabia* *Store origin: SA* *Last updated: 2026-05-27*