The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

Attention high school students about to graduate, job applicants, aspiring attorneys and diplomats, or anyone who has written a love letter: the struggle for accurate expression can be a bittersweet challenge, but it must be taken up. All of society depends on it. Written expression is the oil in social machinery. Failure to make a coherent point can be devastating to purpose. To sum it up succinctly: language matters. The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, is the standard volume for linguistic clarification. Short, comprehensive, and indispensable, it is the definitive source for its subject. The greater your understanding and use of language, the greater your power to define terms and control events. Language mimics a living organism. Language has character and identity. Though its rules can be vague and full of contradictions, language should be effectively understood to be knowledgeably used. Somewhat magically, The Elements of Style directly answers most questions of usage. Improper usage is painful to see written, and lands with a dull thud when heard in the ear of the knowledgeable. For example, a common mistake in usage, is to say “Between he and I.” The word “between” is a preposition, and therefore takes a third person pronoun. Properly stated, the phrase is “Between him and me.” The proper use of that and which, and further and farther is swiftly explained, as well as the accurate use of punctuation when using parentheses. This small compendium is divided into five parts: Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Rules of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style (with a list of reminders). The authors offer practical advice but acknowledge that writing well is a mysterious process. First rate writers are rarely satisfied with their work. Norman Mailer wrote, “Good writing is not an act to inspire confidence because it is good, but anguish because it is not better.” This may be because variables are infinite and good style eludes definition. Writers express genius and craft in varying degrees. Craft can be taught; genius is innate and cannot be taught. The authors offer modest avowal: “There is no infallible guide to good writing, no assurance that a person who thinks clearly will be able to write clearly…writers will often find themselves steering by stars that are disturbingly in motion.” For the majority of the ungifted, which is to say most of us, The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, is an indispensable volume, and should be, like a dictionary, within arm’s reach. —Tom Casey

My dad gave me my first copy when I was 12 so I bought one for my kids. I love the white thick paper on this and the sturdy binding. It will stand up to rigorous use and travel. I tell my kids to carry this around for quick reference. They ignore me. Nothing beats its conciseness and credibility. Famed writer E.B. White edited it with William Strunk, his English professor at Cornell. You can't beat credentials like that. For the beginner writer, this is a quick read of all the essential rules of writing and grammar. Every office worker or person who will ever need to write a sentence should read this to avoid making simple mistakes. I referred to this when I was a lawyer, a journalist, and now a columnist. I've been writing for over 20 years and I still use this because I couldn't remember when to use Whom. Now I know. Again. Thanks Strunk and White.

I've been forced to lighten my book load over 23 household moves across several decades, but I'll never get rid of my vintage copy of EOS. I write and edit for a living, but even if I didn’t, I wouldn't donate this life-changing book. I don't use that adjective lightly. EOS taught me valuable lessons about what makes good writing. Good writing caused my career to take off. So yes, it changed my life. It's a small book, 85 pages. No words are wasted. Contents are divided into well-defined areas: Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style. This last helped me the most. As an English major many years ago, I understood the rules of language such as grammar, sentence structure, etc., but long after I left graduate school I was still developing a sense for style. It's best not to leave style to the fickleness of your creative muse. Authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White revealed to me why certain ways of writing irritate the reader, something I had known all along, but only in the back of my mind. Their assertions brought these irritants to the forefront, and oh how my writing improved when I scrubbed them from my pages. EOS is well titled: "Elements," meaning it focuses on the basic, discrete parts of writing, the foundation of any composition. If you get these wrong, everything is wrong; therefore EOS is an ideal book if you are just starting as a writer. Writing instructors know this. EOS is required reading in many entry-level college composition classes. For easy reference it contains an index and is written in simple language. It’s designed for newbies. You need this book whether you write professionally or limit your essays to arguing with strangers on Facebook. I highly recommend that everyone read it annually. I do.

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This is a very useful book. Have many practical advise to writ in such way that people understand what you want to say without suffering

Since studying at university and graduating, I have kept this book in arms reach on my work desk since! I’m not the best with grammar, and it’s so reassuring to be able to just quickly check something over if your unsure, particularly when writing papers or minutes in a professional capacity. It’s also really small and light, so could be kept in a handbag at all times! I think anyone studying in the English language should have a copy of this, from as young as possible, so they have the confidence to use grammar correctly, and to be able to define their writing style.

Un libretto di poche decine di pagine pieno di ottimi consigli per scrivere bene, cioè con efficacia, stile e correttezza. Da tenere come testo di consultazione assieme agli altri bei libri sulla scrittura efficace: "On Writing" di S. King, "Writing Tools" di R.P.Clark, "Scrivere bene" di W. Zinsser. E' disponibile anche la traduzione italiana, ma l'originale rimane insuperabile.

It is a beautiful manual that imparts the nuances of writing fluently and effectively. I believe this book is a must read for people from all walks of life. The presentation is so simple that the reader can't resist to get engrossed. The lively and intelligible examples make the task easier and help one grasp the content in one go.