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Book Review: Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
I've been forced to lighten my book load over 23 household moves across several decades, but I'll never get rid of my vintage copy of EOS. I write and edit for a living, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn't donate this life-changing book. I don't use that adjective lightly. EOS taught me valuable lessons about what makes good writing. Good writing caused my career to take off. So yes, it changed my life.
It's a small book, 85 pages. No words are wasted. Contents are divided into well-defined areas: Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style. This last helped me the most. As an English major many years ago, I understood the rules of language such as grammar, sentence structure, etc., but long after I left graduate school I was still developing a sense for style. It's best not to leave style to the fickleness of your creative muse. Authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White revealed to me why certain ways of writing irritate the reader, something I had known all along, but only in the back of my mind. Their assertions brought these irritants to the forefront, and oh how my writing improved when I scrubbed them from my pages.
EOS is well titled: "Elements," meaning it focuses on the basic, discrete parts of writing, the foundation of any composition. If you get these wrong, everything is wrong; therefore EOS is an ideal book if you are just starting as a writer. Writing instructors know this. EOS is required reading in many entry-level college composition classes. For easy reference it contains an index and is written in simple language. It’s designed for newbies.
You need this book whether you write professionally or limit your essays to arguing with strangers on Facebook. I highly recommend that everyone read it annually. I do.
I've been forced to lighten my book load over 23 household moves across several decades, but I'll never get rid of my vintage copy of EOS. I write and edit for a living, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn't donate this life-changing book. I don't use that adjective lightly. EOS taught me valuable lessons about what makes good writing. Good writing caused my career to take off. So yes, it changed my life.
It's a small book, 85 pages. No words are wasted. Contents are divided into well-defined areas: Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style. This last helped me the most. As an English major many years ago, I understood the rules of language such as grammar, sentence structure, etc., but long after I left graduate school I was still developing a sense for style. It's best not to leave style to the fickleness of your creative muse. Authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White revealed to me why certain ways of writing irritate the reader, something I had known all along, but only in the back of my mind. Their assertions brought these irritants to the forefront, and oh how my writing improved when I scrubbed them from my pages.
EOS is well titled: "Elements," meaning it focuses on the basic, discrete parts of writing, the foundation of any composition. If you get these wrong, everything is wrong; therefore EOS is an ideal book if you are just starting as a writer. Writing instructors know this. EOS is required reading in many entry-level college composition classes. For easy reference it contains an index and is written in simple language. It’s designed for newbies.
You need this book whether you write professionally or limit your essays to arguing with strangers on Facebook. I highly recommend that everyone read it annually. I do.
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