The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

The Bible of writing. In fact, more Library Thing members have this Bible than the King James Bible. I checked.

The gold standard in American language composition.

Perhaps some of the specific word choices are out of date, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. I've found its more general guidelines invaluable reminders; for example, "make the paragraph the unit of composition" and "use specific, definite, concrete language" (which, I'm afraid, some published writers don't follow).

This is a good reference book on the elements of academic writing. The book provides several examples to follow and many rules. It is an easy read and should be kept as reference material.

A virtual necessity yet considering its age, a wonder that it’s still relevant. A legend for a reason and an essential foundational work.

I like the concise points and don't understand what the controversy is about the book; his points make sense to me and seem valid, especially for student writers.

I am surprised that anyone would give this book a one-star rating, and yet some people have done that. I have no arguments with them, as we each have our own view of the books we read.

For me, this is a brilliant book. I did not think that it would take me ten days to read 97 pages, but it did. The writing style is simple, and not a word is wasted. It was well worth the time I took to read the book carefully.

The rules have been laid out in a simple manner, and the examples are clear.

I like this book so much, that I ordered two paperback copies, one for my son and one for me. It is good to have this book as a handy reference.

Prof Strunk seems to have been a man of exceptional clarity of thought, and this is reflected in the manner in which he has laid out the book, and given the examples. Mr White's section is a very useful addition. It adds to the value of the book.

It is an essential guide to any aspiring writer.

This is the original 1918 version, not the expansion with E.B. White's wit. Evidently, Strunk AND White is not available in a digital edition; only Strunk, because he's out of copyright. The one with Maira Kalman's illustrations is also not available in digital form.

A short, concise, and practical reference for those who want to improve their writing skills.

To seem effortless in one's writing, practice and attention to detail make for perfection.

One of two books I keep in my laptop case. Not exhaustive, but very handy.

It has been years since I first looked at an earlier version of Elements of Style, but my intention to review Elements again finally resulted in action. The 4th edition contains the rules on usage, principles of composition, notes on manuscript form, and list of commonly misused words and expression that earlier readers will expect. White has added a new chapter to this edition detailing his approach to style.

While much of the material is applicable today’s, some of it is dated. Most troublesome is the coverage of words and expressions. Perceptive writers will recognize those admonitions that have become outdated but less experienced readers may be led astray.

Elements is an easy read with 85 pages of text and a seven-page glossary. There is far too much detail to memorize but a periodic review will be beneficial to most writers. That preparation will be sufficient to allow most readers to use the text as a handy reference book.

Always good to recap occasionally and give this a reread.

This style manual offers practical advice on improving writing skills. Throughout, the emphasis is on promoting a plain English style. This little book can help you communicate more effectively by showing you how to enliven your sentences.

It has some good advice on writing and some terrible lies about grammar.

Nearly a century on it remains an excellent guide to clear communication, though time has rendered the tone prescriptive enough to make you want to commit the occasional atrocity to the language just to annoy the long dead author.

Great style guide for non fiction and fiction. Tart rules for everything written.

A fairly boring read - the book is just a long list of grammar and style suggestions - but a decent reference to check every now and then. That said, if you already know what to look for, a google search is likely more effective. Therefore, a quick read through of this sort of book may be useful to know what questions to ask.

Really a wonderful guide. It's not just a guide, though! I actually read it front to back and the voice of these men blends and instructs with sharp wit and dry humor. There are one-liners here on writing that are priceless!

A bit intense on grammar vocabulary, but beyond that, an invaluable handbook.

Not as good as blurb suggests.

So I read this about 5 or 6 times and then CLEP'ed English comp 1. Great book that simply explains the things you need to know to communicate well in writing. :)

I first read this before starting a creative writing & English course at university in 2009 and read it again at the end of my degree when I decided to become a proofreader (& later a copy-editor too).

Some criticize this for being dated. In some respects it is. For example, one instruction is to write "some one" not "someone". This confused me at first, but further study of English style from more modern sources helped me define what rules were out of date in this book.

Thus, my final verdict is that this is a good investment - even Stephen King has used it and recommends that all aspiring authors invest in a copy. A good story written with bad style is not really a good story after all.

Amongst other things, this book guides you with writing well-structured sentences, advises how and when to use punctuation, and lists certain words that should be avoided for the sake of good form.

The first time I read this I found it hard going, but it appeared much more straightforward upon a second reading. Bearing this in mind, a more modern book on style may be a better first choice for someone wanting to improve their form, but once they learn the basics then reading this should be worth their while.

I read more criticism than support of "The Elements of Style", and most of the complaints are valid. Regardless of its faults it should not be ignored or forgotten. While not always technically correct its advice is brief, direct, and positive. Don't take it too seriously and it can't hurt you.

If you write, read it.

I got this book over a year ago, and refer to it again and again. And again. While not a thick book, this book is essential in being able to write properly, even if you just want to write an email. And one of the best things about it (to me), is its explantions on commas and apostrophes, and all those nebulous areas of grammar.

Great book, however I disagree with their opposition to the use of singular "they".

This is a must to read if not to own and reference. The updated version gives further insight and explanation, but overall the information remains valid for writers in the modern day. I refer to this when needed or when instructing writing.

This is still the best short guide to English grammar and usage, although you could argue with a few points.

Classic book on usage, composition, form and style, it's less than 100 pages and is a miracle of lucidity and succinctness. Most memorable rule? Easy: 13. Omit needless words.

This book is one of the books I was assigned for my AP English Language and Comp summer reading. I was assigned to write a book review for it, so here it is:

Many students in high school and college find writing to be one of the most challenging assignments. They oftentimes do not know how to properly express their thoughts and experience confusion, or they may forget essential rules in writing and grammar, leading to poor results. The Elements of Style was written specifically to help writers of any age in any profession who may have similar problems in order to improve their work.
Originally published in 1919, The Elements of Style was written by William Strunk Jr., an English professor at Cornell, as a textbook for students in his class. It was often referred to on campus as “the little book” due to its brevity. E.B White, one of his former students, updated the volume after Strunk’s death for the college market, and introduced modern changes to the original text. Since its publication in 1959, it has become extremely popular and has sold an estimated 10 million copies.
The book, now in its fourth edition, is split into five chapters. The chapters discuss the eleven basic rules of usage, eleven strategies in writing and composition, matters of form, commonly misused words and expressions, and twenty-one rules on style. Various rules throughout the volume include “Do not break sentences in two” (7), “Use the active voice” (18), and “Keep related words together” (28). One of the best examples of a rule from the book is Rule 17 in the chapter Elementary Principles of Composition, “Omit needless words”, which states,

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short, or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. (23)

Examples are provided for many of the rules, making it easier for the reader to understand how they can be applied in writing. To further elaborate on the rule quoted above, Strunk and White show that “there is no doubt but that” can be shortened to “no doubt”, “he is a man who” to “he”, “in a hasty manner” to “hastily”, and “the reason why is that” to simply “because”. The rule also includes how “the fact that” should be edited out of every sentence in which it is used. It states that presenting complex ideas in one sentence instead of explaining them step by step with multiple sentences is a good way to avoid being verbose.
The middle chapters of the book were quite helpful. A Few Matters of Form answers many commonly asked questions on how to write certain parts of your work. Topics covered include exclamations, numerals, parenthesis, and titles. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused provides words that don’t necessarily sound good in writing. Examples on how they can be fixed are also provided. Many of the words given are ones that I’ve noticed I use too frequently, so the chapter has become an important tool for improving my writing.
The rules provide a great reference point for writers and students to quickly refer to a bit of key information they may require. Writers on any level can find something useful in this slim volume. That being said, I would not recommend reading this book like a regular novel. It is written much like a mini-textbook. It requires a strong understanding of English grammar. Since it was written for college level students, I would be somewhat hesitant to recommend it for high school students unless they are already well-versed in English. The Elements of Style presents a good, basic rule book for writing and the English language in general, but is not necessarily for everyone.