End with a Noun?

 

When I read Ruth Culham's 6 + 1 Traits of Writing this past weekend, I noticed something new. She claims that, although it's okay to end sentences with other parts of speech, ending them with a noun makes them more powerful (201). She illustrates her premise by revising a proverb:

A rolling stone gathers no moss. (noun)
If a stone rolls, hardly any moss will be gathered. (verb)
If you are concerned about moss gathering on a stone, roll it. (pronoun)
When trying to rid yourself of moss, roll the stone quickly. (adverb)
If you roll the stone, the moss will become smooth. (adjective)

Hmmm, interesting.  I'll try it here, ending my sentences with a noun to see if they are more powerful.

Here I go.

When I read Ruth Culham's 6 + 1 Traits of Writing this past weekend, I noticed a new tip. She claims it is more powerful to end a sentence with a noun rather than another part of speech. She illustrates her premise by revising a proverb.

A rolling stone gathers no moss. (noun)
If a stone rolls, hardly any moss will be gathered. (verb)
If you are concerned about moss gathering on a stone, roll it. (pronoun)
When trying to rid yourself of moss, roll the stone quickly. (adverb)
If you roll the stone, the moss will become smooth. (adjective)

My experiment here is too short to confirm or deny her suggestion, but one thing I can say: this would be an interesting way to get a student to rethink/restructure (i.e. revise) her sentences. Ask her to end several sentences in a paragraph with nouns and see how it changes her paragraph.

Have you seen this advice before?  Do you think about it when you write?  What have you discovered?