Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Does The Elements of Style deserve its hallowed status? mmi grammar "But the tragedy to me is that 'Strunk and White' is the only grammar book so many people have ever studied, and nobody bothered to tell them, or they didn't remember, that the book is largely about style choices, not hard-and-fast rules." Incorrect! It is about rules that we should all follow. If there were obedience to the rules, all would be happier. It is the ultra-left-wing anarchy that GG espouses that causes so much distress. We see it in all parts of life (e.g., now in politics, when the electorate has ruined America with leftists taking over the White House and dominating both houses of Congress). The nation is going down the tubes. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=17917#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=17917#Comments Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:11:35 GMT Betsy grammar My 11th grade English teacher made us memorize Rule 13. I can still recite it, and still wholeheartedly disagree with it http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=17573#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=17573#Comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:27:24 GMT tony grammar "...if you're arguing with someone about a style choice, you don't automatically win just because you can say, "Strunk and White said so." Yes, you do. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=17101#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=17101#Comments Fri, 22 May 2009 00:02:46 GMT Gabe grammar The linguist's name is Geoff Pullum, not Pullman. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16825#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16825#Comments Sun, 03 May 2009 08:15:26 GMT SueJ grammar No. Really. You are kidding. He said, "Say it loud" ?!?!? Not Loudly??? I'm inordinately fond of E.B. White... and of not beginning sentences with "but" without extreme provocation ;) http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16640#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16640#Comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:50:53 GMT Eric grammar Kat, no apologies necessary. "I feel your pain." I'm surrounded by engineers, like myself, who can perform complex calculations, but they haven't a clue how to write a sentence. Some will take computer code and write each command into English to describe its function. I once reviewed a page of text: one paragraph and just one sentence covering the entire page. Once a typical engineer learns a grammar guideline, it become an ironclad rule. This is not all bad for technical writing. It leaves us to debate "useful topics" such as whether data can be used as a singular noun, instead of datum. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16615#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16615#Comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:35:00 GMT Donna grammar I've seen criticism of The Elements of Style off and on for a bit now. I wouldn't consider it a style guide (and yes, I am a professional tech writer). Its advice is too general for an in-house detailed guide. However, I *do* remember it as an introduction to grammar and structure in high school. It's one of many decent references out there to a novice writer or a learning writer. Personally, I like Elements. It was written at a time when so few guides were so available and were short, sweet, and to the point. It also presented how to write clearly, succinctly, and with personality--and it also was an encouraging read for someone learning to write, not some heavy, monotonous tome. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16608#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16608#Comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:01:18 GMT Kat grammar Eric, I was not trying to insult—I too am an engineer. And in my experience, many engineers write poorly. Granted, my evidence is anecdotal and of a relatively small sample size--50 to 100 people. I do not think engineers are stupid. On the contrary, I know they are quite intelligent. That's what makes the poor writing I see depressing. People smart enough to be engineers are perfectly capable of writing well but the importance of doing so is never emphasized. For example, engineering professors almost never deduct a significant number of points for a report that is incomprehensible due to poor writing. I'm not arguing that the lab work shouldn't count, just that the actual report should matter more than it does. After all, it doesn't matter what you did if you can't explain the results in a way that other people can understand. Unfortunately, since students are not penalized for writing poorly, they never make the effort to write well. Nevertheless, my point was not that engineers in particular write poorly, but that the public in general writes poorly. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16606#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16606#Comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:00:49 GMT Grammar Girl grammar If I had to choose just one style guide, I'd choose "Garner's Modern American Usage." It's much more complete and balanced than "The Elements of Style." My favorite book on punctuation is "Punctuate it Right." http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16604#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16604#Comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:22:07 GMT rpmason grammar I have been a professional writer for more than 20 years and still have an old copy of the book. I don’t take it off the shelf often, but it's nice to browse through now and then. When you're a college freshman and all the formal grammar knowledge you have is less than stellar, it's a good start. So consider the audience. You probably could find a better "little book" on style and usage, but it still fills a need. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16588#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx?commentid=16588#Comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:59:44 GMT Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:11:35 GMT http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/strunk-and-white.aspx feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Managing Editor) feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Webmaster) en-us