In ten beautifully written chapters, The Modern Rules of Style is a brief, elegant primer on how to write vivid, interesting sentences. Marx explains such concepts as parallelism; how to use introductory and trailing modifiers; proper use of the semicolon, colon, and dash; and how to use a noun clause effectively. You'll discover how to spice up prose by varying sentence length; how to use "like" or "unlike"; and the right way to use repetition to focus concepts. There is also a helpful section on building great paragraphs through the use of compelling sentences. Hundreds of examples of how to incorporate these lessons are included, including many taken from current newspapers and magazines, as well as many examples of how NOT to write. The Modern Rules of Style is destined to take its place next to Strunk and White's Elements of Style as an essential and timeless how-to guide. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Three Ducks in a Row: Use Parallelism 3. Starting Out: Use Introductory Modifiers 4. Closing Strong: Use Trailing Modifiers 5. What's What: Use the Noun Clause 6. Looking Backward: Use the Semi-Colon 7. Double Dot Means a Lot: Use the Colon 8. The Bump in the Road: Use the Dash 9. Like It-Or Not: Use Like or Unlike 10. Short and Sweet; Long and Strong: Vary Sentence Lengths 11. Keep Your Eye on the Subject: Use Subject Repetition To Focus Paragraphs 12. Paragraphs with Style