The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr., E. B. White
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Book Reviews of The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
Book Review: If you can get past the attitude, there's a lot to learn
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1919 when William Strunk Jr. was an English professor at Cornell, he self-published this small volume and used it as a required textbook. One of his students was E.B. White who later wrote the children's classic, "Charlotte's Web" and was also a columnist for the New Yorker. In 1957, Mr. White made some slight revisions and had "The Elements of Style" republished. The result, as they say, is history. Now in its fourth edition, this small book has become a classic. I know I must have learned my grammar in elementary school, but I have no recollection of actual lessons. I don't think I ever did learn terms such as adjectival modifier, adverbial phrase, split infinitive, intransitive verb or participial phrase. My teachers must have done a good job though, because grammar has never been a problem for me.Only 85 pages long, this book was a good refresher course for me. It emphasizes clarity and conciseness and certainly is a good example of this concept itself. Of course it's not easy subway reading; grammar rules do tend to be rather boring. I can't help but picture a rather stuffy old man with a condescending attitude standing at a lectern and giving his own rule for the use of the word "prestigious" which he considers an adjective of last resort. "It's in the dictionary," he says, "but that doesn't mean you have to use it". I'm not a big fan of this kind of wit, although it does make the lessons he teaches more palatable. He's a product of another era, when students held their professors in reverence. It was the style then to talk down to students and I don't like being talked down to, even in a little book and by a man who's been dead since 1946.
But it's not about the messenger; it's about the message. And Professor Strunk had something to important to say. He made a good case for clarity. I applaud that. Much of what I already believe was reinforced. In spite of myself, I did learn a lot. And getting the essence of English grammar and style into so few pages is a feat of genius. I highly recommend this book. If you can get past the attitude you will find it can even apply to e-mail correspondence. Take advantage of the learning experience. You won't be sorry.
Book Review: Indispensable
Summary: 5 Stars
I was going to title this review "Simply Indispensable," but - following Strunk & White's advice - I omitted the adverb as it doesn't strengthen or clarify the verb like you'd think it would.
The Elements of Style (Third Edition) is a tremendous help in understanding what makes words flow on a page. I understand that the Fourth Edition takes steps for greater gender equity in its examples, in addition to making other minor tweaks to the 1979 edition. I don't think you can go wrong with either.
The first dozen or so pages tackle the thorniest grammar problems (possessives, subject/verb agreement, pronouns, etc.) and the remainder of the book focuses on how to make your writing clearer and more accessible by the reader. It's here we get the indispensable advice of "Omit needless words" and "Place emphatic words of a sentence at the end." Tips like these turn poorly constructed writing into literary gold - just look what it did for my review title: pure gold.
There is also a subtle wry sense of humor running through the book. In section 4 (Words & Expressions Commonly Misused), Strunk & White make this observation regarding nauseous/nauseated: "The first means `sickening to contemplate'; the second means `sick at the stomach.' Do not, therefore, say `I feel nauseous,' unless you are sure you have that effect on others." From the section 5.17: Do not inject opinion, "To air one's views gratuitously, however, is to imply that the demand for them is brisk, which may not be the case...." Granted, Strunk & White are no Martin & Lewis, but this little text is far from dull and dry.
There are other style manuals available in print and online, but at about 100 pages (the Third Edition was a mere 85), Strunk & White's Elements of Style will likely deliver the advice you need before you've thumbed halfway through the index of the others.
Buy it. Read it. Live it. You'll be glad you did.
Book Review: Ignore the pseudo-intellectuals
Summary: 5 Stars
I've noticed a number of pseudo-intellectuals here complaining about ``The Elements of Style'' based mostly on the fact that is pedantic and restrictive. Obviously these people have neither read the definition of ``element'' nor studied art. These are the basic rules, one half-step above grammar, that should be followed by al people that need to make themselves definitively understood through written communication. It is more than obvious that far too many people have gone through their lives without ever having been exposed to the simple, basic rules presented in this book. How many times have you seen a sign that claims ``Egg's $2.00''? I often wonder why I should care about how much money some guy named Egg has. The majority of the rules that proposed by Mr. Strunk are not pedantic, but simply the basic rules of the English language. There are also other rules that are excellent for straightforward making-yourself-understood writing. These are much more flexible, a point often made in the book by the authors. However, if you don't know what you're doing, these rules are much better to follow than the rules apparently made up on the spot by most uninformed writers.
The vague point that some of these pseudo-intellectuals seem to make is that writing this way is very limiting. However, the point of the book, and of rules in general, is to be limiting. If one is striving to make art, one needs to intentionally break rules. However, it is difficult to break rules if one does not know what they are. There is certainly an element of art that discounts rules altogether, but those artists tend not to work in the element of writing at all. It is difficult at best to convey this sort of mindset through words, as words are very definitive and that sort of art is almost totally expressionist.
In other words, I would encourage everyone to read this book, or in some way get these basic rules of English in his head. ...
Book Review: Still the basics that everyone gets wrong
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was originally published in the 1930's and after 49 editions, is still one of the best selling books about writing. It covers all the basics in 95 concise pages, in a book small enough to fit in a pocket. Reviews say things like, "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume." "...should be the daily companion of anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who writes at all."
It has competitors. Consider:
* Garner's Modern American Usage
* Bernstein's The Careful Writer
* Jack Hart's A Writers Coach
...but still, Strunk and White is the most famous, most oft-quoted, most consistently recommended of any. Amazon ranks it #1 in writing skills, #1 in grammar and #9 in reference. It's the 555th most popular book on the entire site.
Why is that?
Look at the Table of Contents:
* Elementary Rules of Usage, which lists eleven rules--the eleven most relevant to writers
* Elementary Principles of Composition--This includes eleven also, with items like use the active voice, put statements in positive form, omit needless words. Great suggestions. Often, these are the mistakes writers make
* A Few Matters of Form, which includes colloquialisms, headings, hyphens, numbers
* Words and Expressions Commonly Misused--twenty-seven pages of words like aggravate/irritate, among/between, farther/further
* An Approach to Style With a List of Reminders--hints like Do not overwrite, avoid fancy words, don not affect a breezy manner, do not over-explain
Did you notice? Although these were considered important rules in the 1930's and are the same issues faced by writers today. Maybe that's why it's still one of the best-selling, most popular books ever.
Book Review: Essential Writer's Tool.
Summary: 5 Stars
When I write a book I use only a handful of reference tools: dictionary, thesaurus, Gregg's Reference Handbook, Writers Market, and the Elements of Style. Strunk and White is a wonderfully-written, extraordinarily concise tool that pays homage to classic high-end English. It takes language insight to make this prediction in 1979: "By the time this paragraph makes print, uptight... rap, dude, vibes, copout, and funky will be the words of yesteryear." The book begins with eleven "Elementary Rules of Usage," and then continues with eleven more "Elementary Rules of Composition," and eleven "Matters of Form." Each is presented as a brief statement followed by another sentence or two of explanation and a few clarifying examples. This amazing compilation fills only thirty-eight pages, yet covers ninety percent of good writing fundamentals. My favorite section is Chapter IV, a twenty-seven-page, alphabetical listing of commonly misused words and expressions. Here's a trade secret: when my manuscript is "done," I then turn to this chapter and use my word processor's Find function to study every instance of all these problematic words and phrases. I never fail to find errors this way. Many great writers are so only because they've learned to make use of the best available tools. The end of the book contains an essay on "An Approach to Style" with a list of twenty-one "Reminders." Those who fight the apparently-natural tendency to go against these recommendations succeed as writers. Those who don't, fail. It's that simple. The single drawback of The Elements of Style is that it's too concise; it does not stand alone as an all-encompassing tutorial or reference guide. Many readers will seek other sources for more in-depth explanation of style elements. Despite that, it easily replaces ten pounds of other reference material. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.