The Elements of Style: A Book Review By Jesse Heath

MIDWESTERN Baptist Theological Seminary THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE A book review Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course DR 30020 Doctoral Colloquium By Jesse Heath KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI OCTOBER 22, 2017  Strunk, Jr., William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. Fourth edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2000. 105 pp. $9.95. Introduction Writing is hard. The art of communicating concrete and abstract ideas in such a way that numerous audiences can walk away feeling informed is a daunting task. Nevertheless, it can be learned with proper instruction and practice. The Elements of Style seeks to provide such instruction to those engaged in this timeless art. The original book was written by William Strunk, Jr. in 1919. Strunk was an English professor at Cornell University at the turn of the 20th century. Strunk put together the “little book,” as he liked to call it, as a quick reference aid for his students (Strunk and White xiii). The book would become a staple in English education literature for decades. In 1957, E.B. White, one of Strunk’s former English students, was first asked to revise the work. White revised it again in 1972 and 1979. White was an author of adult and children’s books and an editor for The New Yorker. White wrote many American favorites such as Stuart Little in 1945 and Charlotte’s Web in 1952, both of which were later turned into feature films. Summary The Elements of Style opens with a foreword by Roger Angell, the stepson of E.B. White. Angell notes that the beloved White was often unsure and critical of his own literary works, especially his articles for The New Yorker (Strunk and White xi). The forward is proceeded by an introduction by E.B. White written for the 1979 edition of the book. In this introduction, White whimsically recalls his former professor Strunk. White also briefly explains some of the revisions completed under his own hands. Chapter one, Elementary Rules of Usage, contains eleven rules of grammar. These rules deal with proper punctuation, specifically commas, and sentence structure. Chapter two contains the remaining rules 12-22. These are Strunk’s “Elementary Principles of Composition” (Strunk and White 15). Some examples from this chapter are “use the active voice” (Strunk and White 18) and “omit needless words” (Strunk and White 23). Chapter three covers issues of form, such as colloquialisms, headings, the proper use of hyphens, numerals, quotations, and references. The fourth chapter briefly lists some “commonly misused” words and phrases (Strunk and White 39). The final chapter is an addition by White with a list of reminders giving further advice in writing style. The list contains twenty-one nuggets of writing gold. The book closes with an afterward written by Charles Osgood, a former radio and television commentator for CBS, a glossary and an index. Critical Evaluation Despite its miniature size, The Elements of Style is a book that stands out. The book contains rules of grammar and composition that writers have used for decades, if not over a century. There are a few things that cause the book to shine. First, is the book’s pithiness. White remarks that Strunk was proud of the book’s short length (Strunk and White xiii). The original publication in 1919 was only forty-three pages long. The book’s pithiness is not only seen in the number of pages, but also in Strunk’s bite-sized commands, such as “Omit needless words” (Strunk and White 23). White, in his typical fashion, provides colorful and humorous descriptions of Strunk and his methods. In one such example, White remarks on Strunk’s brevity by referring to him as a platoon sergeant “snapping orders” to his men (Strunk and White xiv). At the risk of finishing his lecture too soon, Strunk, White recalls, would repeat sentences at least three times. “Rule Seventeen. Omit needless words! Omit needless words! Omit needless words!” (Strunk and White xv). Another great example of Strunk’s fondness of brevity, which strengthens the quality of writing, can be seen in chapter four’s listen of misused words. Strunk prefers to shorten common phrases to one word. For example, Strunk corrects “as to whether” to “whether” (Strunk and White 41). Such ambiguous phrases as “the foreseeable future” earn a biting quip: “How much of the future is foreseeable? Ten minutes? Ten years? Any of it? By whom is it foreseeable? Seers? Experts?” (Strunk and White 59). The rules contained in chapter one are familiar and typical for anyone who has taken a college level English course. Some have read this book and commented that the book was cumbersome to read. However, one must remember Strunk’s original audience. It was written to beginning English students. Strunk saw a need to provide some shorthand tips to his students and provided an excellent resource for such individuals. His “Elementary Rules of Usage” contain some great insights many might forget if they were not paying attention in their high school English class. However, here too, some stand out as being contrary to some modern trends. For example, Strunk provides he proper use of the ’s to show possession for singular nouns. He states that it is acceptable to use the ’s at the end of words ending with an s, such as “Charles’s friend” (Strunk and White 1). This goes against everything this reviewer was taught in his high school English course. The exception is the use of ancient proper names ending in –es and –is and certain other words. Another interesting rule given relates to what is referred today as the Oxford comma. The book refers to this as the “serial comma” (Strunk and White 2). This is the use of a comma at the end of a short list such as short, round, and bright. Many writers today debate the necessity of the last comma before the conjunction. However, certain recent legal cases have been won or lost based on the placement of such commas. Chelsea Beck, “The Oxford Comma: Great For Listing, Pontificating, and Winning Court Cases,” The Two-Way: Breaking News from NPR, http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/16/520381718/the-oxford-comma-great-for-listing-pontificating-and-winning-court-cases. White provides his own interesting rules in chapter five. One that seems counterintuitive to those who have taken creative writing courses is rule number four: “Write with nouns and verbs” (Strunk and White 71). Here White suggests that nouns and verbs are the true descriptive pillars that uphold “good writing” (Strunk and White 72). Many have been taught that adjectives bring sentences and paragraphs to life and provide depth. However, White seems to follow his mentor’s love for being short and to the point with direct and succinct writing. The authors set out to provide a compact, helpful guide to writing for students. True to form, the book is definitely short. However, this shortness does not take away from its truth. Proper grammar and succinctness brings an enlightening and enjoyable quality to any work of writing. The authors’ use of examples throughout the book does not make the book cumbersome, a danger that many an author has not escaped. This book is a great reference book for all writers. From high school students to the professional writer who spends his day deep in words, The Elements of Style is an excellent reference work that provide amusing and worthwhile tips. 2