The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed
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The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed
At long last, The New Well-Tempered Sentence rescues punctuation from the perils of boredom, with wholly original explanations of the rules of punctuation, whimsical graphics, and utterly unforgettable characters (yes, characters in a grammar book). Gordon teaches you clearly and simply where to place a comma and how to use an apostrophe. Gradually, as you master the elusive slashes, dots, and dashes that give expression to our most perplexing thoughts, you will find yourself in the grip of a bizarre and bemusing comedy of manners. Witty, saucy, and utterly unforgettable, The New Well-Tempered Sentence is a must-have for anyone who has ever despaired of opening a punctuation handbook but whose sentences despair without one.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Cute:
As an English teacher, I agree with the reviews that express dismay at Ms. Gordon's idiosyncratic application of traditional grammar rules. However, the handbook's examples, illustrations, and dry wit make it a much more palatable resource for the teenagers I teach than the musty handbooks provided by my district. Those who find interesting the vagaries of the English language's structure will be charmed.
Great Review:
This is what needs to be taught in schools. I taught in high schools for several years and the punctuation was very bad. Any teacher can keep it handy for their own review or for lesson ideas.
Structurally questionable at times, but amusing.:
Karen Elizabeth Gordon, The New Well-Tempered Sentence (Houghton Mifflin, 1993) I'm still not quite sure how much I enjoyed The New Well-Tempered Sentence. A lot of it is dead-on and well worth reading, but there were a few places where I wondered what on earth Gordon was thinking (when did it become grammatically correct to end a question with any punctuation but a question mark?). The structural aspects, though, are not the reason this book (and its companion volume, The Deluxe Transitive Vampire)... more info
Appealing with its gothic, romantic presentation, the book offers only moderate help:
'The Well Tempered Sentence' is a slim volume (only 93 pages) and is well presented with a pleasing font, playful examples, and some interesting illustrations. The good part of the book is the easy layout and vivid, to-the-point examples. The bad part is that it is just a little bit cheesy, and of no great help if you are a serious writer. I think this would be a fine volume to gift a teenage girl with, especially one who loves to write, whether it is stories or her diary or journals. The chapters are... more info
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