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The Art of Styling Sentences: 20 Patterns for SuccessSP 10 - 20

by Marie L. WaddellRobert M. EschRoberta R. Walker

Barron's Educational Series; 3rd edition (Aug. 1993)

PATTERN 10

PATTERN 10: Emphatic appositive at end and after a colon

S V word (or idea): the appositive (the second naming)

(with or without modifiers)

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PATTERN 10 MODEL

a. Atop the back of the lobster is a collection of trash: tiny starfish, moss, sea conchs, crabs, pieces of kelp.

b. Anyone left abandoned in a desert should avoid two dangers: cactus needles and rattlesnakes.

c. Airport thieves have a common target: unwary travelers.

 

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PATTERN 10A

Appositive (single or pair or series) after a dash or a colon

  S V word – the appositive

(echoed idea or second naming)

  A DASH almost always precedes a short, climactic

appositive, whereas a COLON generally precedes a longer

appositive.

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PATTERN 10A MODEL

a. Adjusting to a new job requires one quality above all others – a sense of humor.

b. Many traditional philosophies echo the ideas of one man – Plato.

c. The grasping of seaweeds reveals the most resourceful part of the sea horse – its prehensile tail.

d. The Greeks’ defeat by Alexander could have been averted if they had listened to their most astute statesman: Demosthenes, the brilliant adviser of the Athenians.

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PATTERN 11: Interrupting modifier between S and V

The word stressed is a modifier rather than an appositive, as in pattern 10.

Choose the punctuation pairs to set it off

according to the type of emphasis you want to give the modifier.

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Punctuation guidelines

a pair of dashes makes the modifier dramatic,

parentheses will make it almost whisper, and

commas are ordinary.

PATTERN 11 MODEL1. A small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a

thought, can make millions think.2. Rare meat, even though containing more

natural juices than well-done meat, is chewier.

3. Mule deer (once common throughout North America) are now almost extinct.

4. Curanderos – often seen in many urban barrios and rural areas in the Southwest – combine herbs, massage, and prayer into a magical healing process.

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PATTERN 11A: A full sentence

(statement or question or exclamation) as interrupting modifier

– a full sentence – S OR V

(a full sentence)

No period before the 2nd dash unless the sentence is a quotation.

Do punctuate a question or exclamation.

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PATTERN 11A:A. Juliet’s famous question – early in the balcony

scene she asks, “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” – is often misunderstood; she meant not “where” but “why.”

B. One of Thoreau’s most famous quotations – “That government is best which governs not at all” – appeals to members of the Tea Party movement.

C. Although the models were standing on the slopes wearing their new $500 parkas (they were pretending to know how to ski), not one of them dared to venture down the giant slalom.

D. Relaxation and informality are important parts of our fantasies about life in a tropical paradise; once you get accustomed to having twenty people waiting on you hand and foot (it doesn’t take very long), you no longer feel like a guest.

PATTERN 12: INTRODUCTORY OR CONCLUDING

PARTICIPLES*

*present ends in -ing; past, in -ed or -en; memorize others!

PATTERN 12

A. Chaucer’s monk was removed from the ideal occupant of a monastery, given as he was to such pleasures as hunting, dressing in fine clothes, and eating like a gourmet.

B. Overwhelmed by the tear gas, the rioters groped their way toward the fountain to wash their eyes.

C. The sun pushes through the early morning fog over the New York skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, inspiring people with a desire to invent and create.

PATTERN 13: A SINGLE MODIFIER

OUT OF PLACE FOR EMPHASIS

 

Modifier , S V.OR

S VModifier.Commas may be necessary for clarity;

however, if a modifier is clearly an adverb, a comma may not be needed.

Examples

A. Below, the traffic looked like a necklace of ants.

B. The general demanded absolute obedience, instant and unquestioning.

C. Burgundy red and fiery orange, the autumn leaves showered down like a cascade of butterflies.

D. Occasionally Francesca liked to wade in the neighbor’s pool.

PATTERN 14: PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE BEFORE SUBJECT AND VERB

 PREP. PHRASE S V (OR V S).

Pay attention to awkwardness; note punctuation.

Examples

A. Down the field and through the tacklers ran the Heisman Trophy winner.

B. Despite his master’s degree in world trade and economics, the only job Tom could get was making change in a casino.

C. With slow and stately cadence the honor guard entered the Windsor.

D. Into the arena rushed the brave bulls to defy death and the matador.

E. In all the forest no creature stirred.