Book Review: The Elements of Style

Title: The Elements of Style

Author (s): William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Edition: 4th

Forward by: Roger Angell

Chapters: I. Elementary Rules of Usage

II. Elementary Principles of Composition

III. A Few Matters of Form

IV. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused

V. An Approach to Style

Pages: 105 pages (including the glossary and index).

Thoughts: William Strunk Jr.’s and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style is an essential book for any English speaker and, subsequently, writer. While it is small, The Elements of Style imparts you with a lot of useful information and leaves you feeling you will become, in no time, an excellent writer. The clear explanations complement the examples and are memorable because of the wit that the book employs throughout its pages. A reader of this book will encounter grammatical phrases and terminology, and I recommend that you make an effort to learn what those terms mean so you can get the most out of this excellent guide to style.

The chapters that I found most useful are chapter 1, Elementary Rules of Usage, Chapter IV, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and Chapter V, An Approach to Style.

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