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The Elements of Style, Third Edition Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon List price: $6.95 352 new & used available from $0.01. |
| According to the St. Louis Dispatch, this "excellent book, which should go off to college with every freshman, is recognized as the best book of its kind we have." It should be the ". . . daily companion of anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who writes at all" (Greensboro Daily New). "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume" (The Boston Globe). |
| A masterpiece in the art of clear and concise writing, and an exemplar of the principles it explains. |
The Elements of Style, Third Edition
Customer Reviews / The Elements of Style, Third Edition
| With so many other grammar guides out there, this one is very simple in its rather rigid guidelines. It might be good for beginner writers who are fluent in English, but I wouldn't recommend this book to students since this book is very dated. It's considered a classic for grammer, but I find this book to be overrated. I prefer to have an other grammar guide than this one. Some of the rules used in here are rather old fashioned. The writing is very stiff and forced. Personally I prefer other grammar guides over this one, but this one good for reference. |
| Summary: I wouldn't suggest buying this book. You're better off Googling grammar rules as you get suspicious about your writing.
Pro: Good summary of rules, with examples. I think the world would be a better place if everyone followed some rules: e.g., commas for dependent clauses, clarity on a statement's subject. Con: Some rules feel dated. They cover (1) rules that nobody breaks today or (2) wrong rules. An example of a wrong rule is suggesting that "We read a book, and trusting all of its rules, we made mistakes" is correct, while "We read a book and, trusting all of its rules, we made mistakes" is wrong (note comma's position). Language is a fluid organism; using an early-20th-century book today poses a risk to your style. Suggestion: stick to this: [...] . When in doubt, Google it. |
| This book served me well when I was an editor/writer long ago and I view it as a must have for all writers. Now that my son is writing, I got this for him and he told me that every other writer in his department had a copy of it. It should be required for all writers and non-writers both. I can't recommend it enough! |
| This one is worth a look if you collect this kind of book for fun or for completeness, but there are much more thorough and thoughtful and self-aware books out there. Read Geoffrey Pullum's critique of the book in the Chronicle before buying. I would recommend Keys for Writers, 5th Edition in place of Strunk & White. It costs more, but it's probably all you'll need in terms of writing style, excepting perhaps The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th Ed [Pub Manual 6E] (PAPERBACK), if APA style is required in your field.
If your problem is actually sitting down and writing on a regular basis, then How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing is probably the best one. Pullum's critique: [...] |
| It's good book to read maybe once a year if you write quite a bit. It gives some very common grammatical errors to watch out for. |
The Elements of Style, Third Edition
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