First You Write a Sentence: The Elements of Reading, Writing... and Life

Less style guide than extended meditation on the sentence as written communication’s basic building block, this is a heartfelt but sometimes overwrought affair. Moran, an English and Cultural History professor at Liverpool John Moores University, emphasizes that form is just as important as content. He provides many pieces of useful advice: the passive voice can be used effectively if done carefully; avoid using adjectives unnecessarily (as “hollow intensifiers”) and instead use them to “make a noun more specific”; and don’t discount writing as easy—it is work. He makes persuasive arguments for the virtues of succinct, plain writing and for a more ornate style without definitively favoring either—the key is to be adept at whichever is chosen. His own florid style, however, often gets in the way, and he falters when not directly addressing style points. An appendix of “20 Sentences on Sentences” seems more like a fortune cookie compendium than sound advice on composition. (“Train your ears, for how a sentence sounds in the head is also what it says to the heart.”) Anyone who has waxed poetic about good writing will enjoy parts of Moran’s book, but tolerance for the complete package will depend on the individual reader. (Aug.)