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A review by sarina_langer
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr
4.0
Rating: 3.5
You won't hear me say this ever again, but I took a highlighter to this book. I'd never dream of doing that to any other book, but it seemed appropriate with this one.
While some rules around punctuation and grammar have developed alongside language, The Elements of Style still covers all your basics. AND it's tiny, so it will fit on your shelf no matter how full it is.
It's a great addition for writers as well as editors. For editors, it's a handy guide if you need a quick reminder of something. For writers, it's a good idea to learn the basics of style, but I'm not sure I'd call it a beginner's guide.
Just don't expect more than that--most points have examples but explanations are rare, so you'll learn what to do or not to do, but not necessarily why. Strunk has cut all the fluff, so this really is just a rule book with some examples and a list of commonly misspelled words.
Be aware that some rules may have changed over the years (this baby was first published in 1918), but most of it is still relevant today. If in doubt, do more research (I recommend The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation - it's an excellent online resource) or let your editor handle it. And please don't see its age as an excuse not to follow the rules--some things have changed, but for the most part it's still good to adhere to the points in this book.
If you'd like detailed explanations, you won't find them here. If you want to brush up on your basic grammar or would like a reminder here and there, this is perfect.
You won't hear me say this ever again, but I took a highlighter to this book. I'd never dream of doing that to any other book, but it seemed appropriate with this one.
While some rules around punctuation and grammar have developed alongside language, The Elements of Style still covers all your basics. AND it's tiny, so it will fit on your shelf no matter how full it is.
It's a great addition for writers as well as editors. For editors, it's a handy guide if you need a quick reminder of something. For writers, it's a good idea to learn the basics of style, but I'm not sure I'd call it a beginner's guide.
Just don't expect more than that--most points have examples but explanations are rare, so you'll learn what to do or not to do, but not necessarily why. Strunk has cut all the fluff, so this really is just a rule book with some examples and a list of commonly misspelled words.
Be aware that some rules may have changed over the years (this baby was first published in 1918), but most of it is still relevant today. If in doubt, do more research (I recommend The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation - it's an excellent online resource) or let your editor handle it. And please don't see its age as an excuse not to follow the rules--some things have changed, but for the most part it's still good to adhere to the points in this book.
If you'd like detailed explanations, you won't find them here. If you want to brush up on your basic grammar or would like a reminder here and there, this is perfect.