Does anyone revisit grammar after high school? I doubt it. Why would they? Software grammar checkers do the heavy lifting nowadays. And if your English is well understood—and not a total dumpster fire—you don’t need grammar instruction.
Still, you might want to connect with your readers, entertain them, or earn their trust. This is where style comes in. Word choice, tone, and grammar form the basis of every writer’s style. Enter The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White, a grammar and style book offering simple, actionable rules for writers in usage, composition, form, and style. But it’s much more than a craft writing book; it’s an icon.
For starters, it’s recommended by the likes of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Freakonomics author Stephen J. Dubner, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Ben Affleck. It’s also inspired a concert ballet in NYC, been narrated as an audiobook by Frank McCourt, author of Angela’s Ashes, and illustrated by artist Maira Kalman.
Wait, there’s more.
An opera titled The Elements of Style: Nine Songs was performed in the Rose Main reading room of the New York Public Library, and yes, it was a musical interpretation of the book. Former host of CBS News Sunday Morning and The Osgood File, Charles Osgood, presented an educational video series called The Elements of Style with Charles Osgood. What's more, in 1996, the FBI discovered a copy among Ted Kaczynski’s bookshelves alongside bomb-making materials.
None of what I’ve mentioned even scratches the surface of the academic and political controversies it’s experienced over the past century. Its examples have been called sexist, its rules have been blamed for miseducating Americans on the “passive voice,” and its language has been accused of assigning morality to "correct" grammar.
So, how come I’m only hearing about this book now?
Discovering an Icon
From what I’ve gathered, writing teachers find The Elements of Style too rigid, arguing that the English language isn’t compatible with its rules. They’re not wrong. William Strunk’s rules do feel authoritarian, as if he might appear out of nowhere and smack you with a ruler.
But the English language evolves. Word meanings change. Sentence structures adapt. And therefore, strict rules don’t always apply. At any given moment, it’s more important that people understand you, not that you followed a particular rule. Perhaps this is the reason I never learned of The Elements of Style. My teachers just didn’t subscribe to its prescriptive nature.
But eventually, I read Stephen King’s On Writing. In the Foreword, he says:
“[M]ost books about writing are full of bullshit…. One notable exception to the bullshit rule is The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. There is little or no detectable bullshit in that book. (Of course it’s short; at eighty-five pages it’s much shorter than this one.)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Stephen King, it’s that he doesn’t waste my time. So naturally, I quit reading his book and began my search for The Elements of Style. (Plus, how could I lose by reading a shorter book?)
The Quest for the (Right) Elements of Style
Finding a copy of the short grammar book was more challenging than I’d expected. Not because it’s difficult to google a book titled "The Elements of Style"—no, it’s because there are too many versions. Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean there are too many editions—I mean versions.
My online search found an unusual number of versions, most with a different co-author, each titled The Elements of Style by William Strunk. Amazon generated 11 results pages, among which the first two pages showcased 20 different versions.
(There’s a version called The Elements of F*cking Style: A Helpful Parody. It might be erotica; I haven’t confirmed.
Yet…)
So, why are there so many co-authored and repackaged versions of The Elements of Style?
The obvious reason is its popularity. As I mentioned, it’s iconic, particularly the version co-authored by E. B. White, renowned for Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and decades of New Yorker contributions. It’s even on Time’s 100 best and most influential nonfiction books list. (Stephen King’s On Writing is also on that list, so I should probably finish it, right?)
Another factor contributing to the legion of versions is that the original 1920 edition of The Elements of Style is in the public domain. Copyright laws can be complicated, but “public domain” means the work isn’t protected by copyright laws and may be used, read, and reproduced freely. Therefore, anyone can copy the text (and title), make edits (or not), and publish it as they see fit. Many publishers have already done this.
(FYI, this also means you can read the original version here for free. Whatever you do, though, don’t buy the Kindle ebook. The formatting is terrible, and you can download the ebook for free anyway.)
Combine immense popularity with the fact that it’s public domain, and (bam!) the capitalism floodgates swing open. Now that anyone can use it, the real question is, who hasn’t published The Elements of Style?
History and Contents
Writers and celebrities who talk about The Elements of Style usually refer to one of two versions.
First is the original version William Strunk Jr. wrote more than a century ago for his English class at Cornell. Wanting a guide that would simplify teaching style to his students, he self-published what he called “the little book.”
This “little book” became The Elements of Style, and in it, Will Strunk succinctly presents 18 rules of usage and composition, along with lists of misused and misspelled words. The guide was uniquely tailored for his class, and, as a result, it streamlined grading student papers. For example, if a pupil failed to use a comma correctly, he would scribble “See Rule 3” in the margin.
The other, most popular version of The Elements of Style is commonly known as Strunk & White. In 1957, Macmillan Publishers commissioned E. B. White, a former student of William Strunk Jr, to refresh the original Elements of Style and add more lessons. This version is the version people love. It’s the one they praise, the one they create concert ballets for, and the one they recommend to everyone they know.
(It’s also the version that's inspired this musical at the Neo-Futurist Theater in Chicago. Its description: “Join Napoleon, Sappho, Billy the Kid, a herd of farm animals and a gaggle of Neo-Futurists as they use Strunk and White’s grammar manual to understand the way language shapes and distorts their lives.”
You’re welcome.)
The Elements of Style is organized as follows:
Introductory (Original only), Introduction (Strunk & White)
Elementary Rules of Usage
Elementary Principles of Composition
A Few Matters of Form
Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
Words Commonly Misspelled (Original, and Illustrated Strunk & White)
An Approach to Style (With a List of Reminders) (Strunk & White)
In both versions, 'Elementary Rules of Usage' provides rules on punctuation and the proper use of participial phrases. 'Elementary Principles of Composition' provides organization and style rules (eh, suggestions) for clear and concise writing. 'A Few Matters of Form' instructs on how to format headings, quotations, references, and more. 'Words and Expressions Commonly Misused' is a list of, I’ll be honest, “misused” words that annoy the authors.
'Words Commonly Misspelled' was removed from Strunk & White and replaced with an additional chapter of style guidelines suggested by E. B. White titled 'An Approach to Style.'
For more information, here’s an educational rap video performed by your local Glee Club (aka sirbendarby). It explains more about Strunk & White than I ever could.
Content alert: Don’t watch if your name is Kyle and you wear jerseys.
Criticism of The Elements
If praise of The Elements of Style seems crazy to you, you’re not alone. Here’s a quote from Pulitzer finalist and author of The Dutch House, Ann Patchett:
“The Elements of Style remains an unwavering beacon of light in these grammatically troubled times. I would be lost without it.”
Did you roll your eyes? I did. Now that both you and I are critics, I’ll admit the style guide is helpful, but there’s no way we’d be lost without it. Many writers, composition professors, feminists, and academics roll their eyes at the exaggerated praise. Generations of college students have zealously abided and quoted the rules without understanding the dynamic nature of English. As a result, criticism of The Elements of Style is common, and it tends to fall into these categories:
It’s too prescriptive and shouldn't be used with the English language.
It’s sexist, in both its preference for masculine pronouns over neutral pronouns and its use of gender-biased examples.
It advocates for “plain style,” which some argue degrades artistic expression.
It’s incomplete, citing minimal grammar rules.
Its examples sometimes conflict with its own rules.
Disdain for The Elements of Style is just as passionate as the admiration it receives, although unfortunately, it’s not as flashy. No one’s created a documentary or musical to discredit the book. The local Glee Club isn’t dissing it in a “descriptivist vs prescriptivist” rap battle mash-up. And English teachers who don’t like The Elements of Style, simply never assign it to their students.
It's rare to stumble across fiery criticism of the style guide because it’s often only found in academic journals. Geoffrey K. Pullum, linguist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburg, is the exception, as his scrutiny of The Elements of Style is well documented on Language Log, UPenn’s free academic blog. And although Professor Pullum's earned a reputation for labeling Noam Chomsky a hack, he is equally passionate about slamming Strunk & White. In his paper, The Land of the Free and 'The Elements of Style' he accuses E.B. White of sloppily ignoring his own rules:
White peddles a prohibition that originates in a quixotic 19th-century recommendation for reform that failed. It is not respected in his own writing, and his mentor Strunk did not conform to it.
If you can overlook Strunk & White's usage and grammar flaws, which are arguable, you'd probably notice another issue. Much like today’s self-help books, The Elements of Style prescribes overly simplistic rules to solve complicated subjects. According to Keith Hjortshoj, a Cornell professor and contributor to Teaching Prose: A Guide for Writing Instructors:
“The Elements of Style demonstrates E. B. White’s remarkable skill at drawing readers into compelling little truths about ordinary things. The myth in this case is that White, with the ghostly voice of William Strunk still ringing in his ears, miraculously condensed everything everyone needs to know about writing into 85 pages, available for the price of a plain pizza. We all wish it were true.”
If any secret exists that can make readers believe they’re writing experts, E. B. White may have been the only one who ever knew it. Still, Professor Hjortshoj admits:
“Setting the myth aside, if that is even possible, we have a little book of useful rules, terse and cranky in a charming way. If you assign it, your students will feel like someone has finally taken their sloppy writing in hand-given it the good canning it deserves.”
Lingering Questions
With so many conflicting opinions about the guidance in the iconic Elements of Style, you probably have a few questions:
Should you read The Elements of Style? Yes. Ursula K. Le Guin, Dan Rather, and Ted Kaczynski recommend it.
Should you treat every rule in The Elements of Style as gospel? Absolutely not.
Should you follow any of the rules in The Elements of Style? Follow what's valuable for you, but grasp all the concepts. The rules you embrace and the boundaries you push will form your personal style. For me, the answers I’ve found in the book are useful and incredibly entertaining.
The Elements of Style is part of popular culture, and investigating its history has taught me that writers and performers have a lot to say, sing, and dance about when it comes to style. Usage, composition, form, and much more contribute to telling stories and, therefore, unique reader experiences.
Therefore, style is personal, like a fingerprint. It's special to each writer, and I’m not sure I would have learned that without researching The Elements of Style. Who knows, I may still end up being like Ann Patchett— “lost without it.” (I doubt it. I seriously just rolled my eyes after writing that.)
Regardless of being lost, or perhaps found, I'll be exploring The Elements of Style further. Check back soon, as I’ll be:
making fun of writers who compare The Elements of Style to the Bible (yep, that’s a thing),
collecting sexist examples from each edition (for fun),
experimenting with how each rule is used (and broken) to evoke a target voice,
digging into Ted Kaczynski’s reported ownership (I can’t resist),
compiling and reviewing artistic tributes and interpretations (including parodies),
exploring political and societal implications (as pointed out by academics), and
most importantly, brushing up on my grammar so that I can comfortably ignore it. (I strive to make Anne Patchett proud.)
I’m not sure I’ll stop there. It’s been over 100 years since the book was first published in 1918, and although it’s controversial, Americans still refuse to forget about the “little book” made exclusively for one professor's English class at Cornell. Even my favorite Elements of Style detractor, Geoffrey K. Pullum, has to admit that it’s an “opinionated, influential, error-stuffed, time-wasting, unkillable zombie of a book.”
And I love it.