The Elements of Style

Lisa of Troy Takes on Two Prestigious Literary Heavyweights Round One Ding! Ding! When I was in high school, my Spanish teacher frightened me to the point where I wouldn’t speak. It was one of those situations where you internally plead, “Please don’t call on me. Please don’t call on me.” Of course, di......more

Yes. This is a very good book for anyone who wants to write anything. Of course, you can break any rule when you are writing. But I believe that is more effective when you know the rule you are breaking, and you know why you are breaking it. No matter if you are writing a high school book report or......more

I remember, my Freshman year, sitting in the Music Building lounge waiting for my next class when Maryanne came crashing in, with an appropriate amount of chaos, announcing to all “Oh crap, I can’t find my Strunk and White.” Everyone else in the room apparently knew what she was talking about, but I......more

There must be some structure to language. We must agree on some aspects of it, and creating rules and definitions around those mutual agreements helps to foster intelligibility throughout the language. Likewise, this agreement to abide by these rules means that we can teach communication. This does n......more

In her charming essay, "Insert a Carrot", Anne Fadiman describes a trait shared by everyone in her family - a heightened sensitivity to the flaws in other people's writing. The Fadimans all belong to that tribe whose members cannot read without simultaneously copy-editing. When dining out, they amus......more