The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

Adding to this advice from William Strunk, E. B. White includes some other general guidelines: "Write in a way that comes naturally," "Use orthodox spelling," and "Don't explain too much."

All of these little gems of advice aren't hard-and-fast rules set in stone, but rather small bits of general advice collected into a compact book. They can be broken, but for the most part, they are sensible and very useful in making writing more vivid, lively, and effective.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to launch a career in writing. Read it, use it, absorb it. It can only help.


A good book, now ruined in latest edition.   October 21, 1999
 14 out of 47 found this review helpful

Why tamper with a successful work? Why, for reasons of political correctness, of course. I like the way they snuck that in in the introduction to the current edition.


Required Resource   December 7, 2002
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I always keep this must have valuable resource handy.
The Elements of Style has style tips for: Writing in the correct tense, words that are misused, how to critique your own writing. And samples used in sentence structure for each style.
As an author, I always need to go over the common mistake check list in my own writing. The Elements of Style is a quick reference for me. I know that if I keep this book fresh in my mind, I will be consistent in my writing.
This timeless short read is a must have for all writers.
Anyone who reads will benefit from its content.
Find your style and be consistent in your own writing.


Your ticket to becoming a better writer   June 3, 2004
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Few things can make you as self-conscious about your writing as reviewing a book that you feel has improved your writing. And few things are as silly as terribly written reviews praising such books. Hopefully, what I learned from this book will lead me to be able to write a review that will convince you to buy it.

Many years ago I decided that I wanted to be able to write better, but I didn't really know where to begin. I'd taken classes, but I was unsatisfied with what I had learned. I'd learned how to assemble different kinds of essays or papers, but I strongly felt that something was lacking on a more basic level. My writing lacked, well, style.

I happened to ask a professional writer I knew for advice. I asked him how one could become a better writer. The answer he gave me seemed completely underwhelming at the time: "Read the Elements of Style twice a month and compare its advice to your writing," he said. He suggested that I not merely read it once but that I read it continuously, as we all need to be reminded of the guidelines it provides. Writing is a skill that improves with constant practice, much like playing a musical instrument. Take your writing, apply the lessons and guidelines from this book, and see where you can improve things. While he insisted this was the most important advice I could receive, I remained skeptical.

Eventually, I had the good sense to give his advice a shot. Soon afterwards, I was a published writer. I still use this book and refer to it regularly. If you use it regularly in the way my mentor described, it will make you a better writer as well.


A Rotten Little Book   January 26, 2005
 13 out of 83 found this review helpful

I suppose that this book might be of some use as an antidote for semi-literate Americans who've read one too many articles by William F. Buckley and decided that they'd like to posess his "eloquence." But for anyone who thinks that written English should aspire to beauty rather than mere functionality, it's about 100 pages of the worst imaginable sanctimonius claptrap, pressed between two glossy little covers.