Book Description

This 624-page book is a new kind of rhyming dictionary that encourages writers to be more adventurous in their approach to rhyming.Built on the findings of an in-depth study of the kind of ingenious rhymes used by some of the world's greatest songwriters and lyricists, SURPRISING RHYMING offers an astonishing array of thousands of alternative rhyme options. The rhyme types are much broader than those found in traditional rhyming dictionaries which tend to show only 'perfect' or 'true' rhymes.Using too many perfect rhymes can sometimes make a lyric or a poem sound tedious and predictable-and prone to clichés. To avoid this, SURPRISING RHYMING focuses instead on thousands of off-the-wall false-rhymes, half-rhymes, slant-rhymes and near-rhymes that are less predictable than exact rhymes-and therefore more likely to surprise an audience.The book also includes many new words that have been added to standard dictionaries in recent years.The many thousands of 'surprising' rhymes crammed into this book are based on a study of the unconventional 'imperfect' rhymes that have been used by influential songwriters and lyricists such as: Chuck Berry, David Bowie, Sara Bareilles, James Bay, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Sia Furler, Hozier, Jay-Z, Billy Joel, Carole King, Michael Kiwanuka, John Lennon, Lorde, John Mayer, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Bonnie McKee, Randy Newman, Dolly Parton, Christina Perri, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Paul Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Taylor Swift, Cat Stevens, Bernie Taupin, James Taylor, Jimmy Webb, Lucinda Williams, Stevie Wonder ... and many more.Research for this book found that many of these writers felt they managed to achieve far greater flexibility in their word choices by inserting 'false' rhymes into their rhyming patterns instead of always using perfect rhymes. And many writers have discovered that breaking rhyming rules in this way can be very liberating.That's why SURPRISING RHYMING invites writers to challenge themselves and make their rhymes bolder and more original ... and less predictable!The book is laid out clearly to make it quick and easy to find the perfect word to achieve a memorable rhyme. There are separate sections for one-, two-, three- and four-syllable rhymes, along with many useful tips on rhyming.SURPRISING RHYMING is edited by Brian Oliver, the author of the five-star rated book, "HOW [NOT] TO WRITE A HIT SONG! 101 Common Mistakes to Avoid If You Want Songwriting Success" and also "HOW [NOT] TO WRITE GREAT LYRICS! 40 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Lyrics for Your Songs".# # # #