What makes a great sentence? I’m not sure, exactly, but I’d like to find out. A few times each week I’ll post a bit of prose that affects me, and offer a few brief comments about its virtues. If one of the passages strikes you for a particular reason, please join the discussion by adding your comments. The goal is to illuminate the mechanics by which prose can speak to the mind, whisper to the heart, and sing to the soul.
Evan Miller
Palo Alto, CA
July 21st, 2007 at 2:56 pm
For a sentence to be powerful I think firstly a writer has to express something true in its essence. Then, the words themselves need to line up in a way which is pleasing to the eye and the ear. The more the words appeal to the five senses the better. And bravery, bravery is HUGE with me–an author who says something courageous which I’ve thought and been afraid to express, or which I’ve thought but believed myself to be alone in experiencing–courageous text always takes my breath away. So for me, I’d come up with brave, true ideas expressed with beauty. If you are seeking to understand the mechanical structure of a good sentence, that’s something different.