(Ages 5 to 9) THE poet John Ciardi had an unerring ear for good poetry and a highly developed nose for bad.

A master of suspense, he has an uncanny sense of place, an unerring ear for dialogue, and a rare ability to create strong, fast-paced plots.

Harry Ford, whose unerring ear and impeccable taste made him one of the nation's leading poetry editors, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan.

He has an unerring ear and an unbeatable sense of humor.

Mr. Hancock has an unerring ear and a huge vocabulary; characters spring to life not in sentences but in phrases.

She has an almost unerring ear for characterization, which she conveys through fluid dynamics, a wide range of vocal color and tightly focused, expressively deployed vibrato.

With characteristic modesty and her unerring ear for truth, she would, no doubt, dismiss the phrase as ridiculous and overblown.

She had an unerring ear for what he might have replied.

She had an unerring ear for music and a natural gift of voice and expression.

Doesn't quite fit in Norma Loquendi's unerring ear.