The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
by E. B. White, William Strunk Jr.
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Book Reviews of The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
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.Book Review: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION - A MAJOR KEY TO SUCCESS!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you wish to communicate in an impressive and politically correct manner, then you have found the appropriate book. During the course of teaching business management, I have encountered adult students with university degrees who have no discernable concept of what constitutes proper English grammar and what does not. Some individuals have the unique ability to create words, not found in any English dictionary or thesaurus, which are totally unfathomable to anyone but the user. As for grammar, the phrases, "them there books," and "in regards to," absolutely crucify the English language, particularly when used by academic scholars! However, there are basic essential elements of English grammar every individual should be able to comprehend and use. One student of mine, a former high school teacher who was preparing her written business plan, repeated the word, "I" thirteen times in the first paragraph. This same paragraph also contained four incomplete sentences. When I asked her, out of sheer curiosity, what subjects she taught in high school, her answer was....English! My dearest wish was to discretely place a copy of this book in her briefcase. Not all of us are "masters" of the English language, and that is one of the reasons we can be extremely thankful this useful book exists. There is no question, "The Elements of Style" has been around for quite a few years, but the concepts do not change with time. In general, writing and speaking skills are an essential part of everyone's life; we should be able to effectively communicate with those around us. This is certainly true if you are part of the business world. Whether you are writing a letter, report, speech or book, you will find "The Elements of Style" one of your greatest assets. It is truly a classic book with an eloquent, timeless style.
Book Review: Not the bible.
Summary: 4 Stars
I just received the book, and on reviewing it liked the layout, the conciseness, and the usefulness of its content. It suits my purposes. For those reasons, I'm giving it 4 stars.
However, a quick perusal made me suspect that I might need to consult another reference whenever questions arise. I know the book was written 50 years ago, and perhaps English grammar usage has changed - or perhaps the editors missed a spot. But I flipped through the book and came upon a ghastly (to me) error. If you look up usage for "get," "got," "have gotten," the book states that "have got" is preferred, and displays "have gotten" as an error. Seeing it in a book about technical writing is cringe-inflicting.
Excuse me, but there is no "have got" in proper English grammar. You either "have" or you "got"; not both at once. The correct form is "have gotten." So I suppose we need to be on the lookout for archaic content that wasn't weeded out in later editions, or colloquial rules that don't apply in the US -- I know that's a habit the British HAVE GOT. I checked a British dictionary, and OFFICIALLY the usage is the same as in the US...but we use the correct form in America.
On the other hand, Americans always place punctuation marks within quotations whether or not they logically belong there (the book got that right) because ". and ", caused problems with old printing presses. We never moved past that, while the Brits did, and their treatment of quotations makes more sense. So it all evens out. (Someone should write a book on comparative English grammar, in my opinion, just so we don't get confused after reading English literature, or listening to the BBC say, "The group were..." or "The family were...")
So, I like the book, but that one flaw makes it just a little suspect to me. I'll always have a second reference nearby.
Book Review: The Fundamentals of Clear and Effective Prose.
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Elements of Style", written by Professor William Strunk Jr. in the 1910s and revised and augmented by E.B. White, his former student, in the 1950s, is still the most helpful guide to writing English prose in the smallest package. The book includes sections on: Rules of Usage, Principals of Composition, Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and a section entitled "An Approach to Style" in which Mr. White offers some excellent advice on style in the broader sense of writing that reflects the author's personality or tastes. There is also a glossary of grammar and usage terms in the back of the book. The section on English usage is useful but not comprehensive. And I believe a couple of the rules are outdated, even though this 4th edition was published in the year 2000. The rest of the book is truly dedicated to "the elements of style", meaning a writing style's most essential considerations. The authors explain, with good humor and language that is easy to understand, the "dos and don'ts" for writing clear and effective prose. These rules and recommendations can probably be summarized by saying, "Be direct and concise." But "The Elements of Style" tells the reader how to accomplish this goal. This book doesn't address how to structure a paragraph or organize an essay, so writers seeking advice on these topics will need some additional text. "The Elements of Style" is dedicated to constructing sentences in the most effective style. Middle school, high school, and college students -and anyone who would like to refresh his or her writing skills- will find "The Elements of Style" helpful, especially in writing academic prose. Messrs. Strunk and White have extracted the most essential points of writing good English, recognized the most common mistakes, and put them into this small, inexpensive and easily absorbed little book.Book Review: An Absolute Must, Regardless of One's Goals
Summary: 5 Stars
Some reviewers here have complained about a perceived rigidity and pedantry concerning this gem of a reference source. To wit: "...I think a lot of great writers, paradoxically, began making sense of their writing by abandoning sense and rules (the stuff of editors)." or "This little book approaches the craft of writing with the sort of dogmatic rigidity usually found in a backwoods cult." These reviewers then go on to rate the book with one or two stars, calling it an "odious book" or "(t)he most overrated manual of all time".As a novelist and an essayist, given to great appreciation of experimental forms and known to indulge in them with a fervor, I can say that these types of reviews are themselves narrow-minded and ill informed. One cannot possibly hope to challenge established norms until one has mastered them. Anything less than mastery of the English language in its written form, by those would endeavor to reshape it is only indicative of a mindless arrogance.
Artists such as Picasso, Ray, Kandinsky, and Pollock, revolutionary 20th century imagists who established significant alterations in the way we see art, were master artists who'd taken the time to study and command the issues of composition, balance, and color before ever presuming to break the traditions. Likewise, writers of the ilk of Joyce, Nabokov, and Kesey-individuals who toyed with the language in sometimes shocking and disturbing ways-were first master technicians of the language, knowing precisely how to step outside the box because of their careful apprehension of what is inside the box.
This book should be required reading by anyone who undertakes to communicate with the written word. It is concise and clear, and should be as much a part of any author's library as a dictionary and a thesaurus. Know your art, ladies and gentlemen!