The Elements of Style Review (Strunk & White)

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Bottom line: The most influential writing rulebook in the English language, first written in 1918 by a Cornell professor for his students and revised four decades later by one of those students, who went on to write Charlotte’s Web and some of the best prose essays in American letters. One hundred and five pages. You can read it in an afternoon. You will spend the rest of your writing life trying to follow its instructions.

Scribbright rating: 5 out of 5

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The origin

William Strunk Jr. was a professor of English at Cornell University. In 1918 he wrote a small book for his students called The Elements of Style. It was private, mimeographed, the kind of course material that professors produce and students lose. It covered grammar, usage, composition, and style in 43 pages, with the bluntness of a man who has read too many student essays and has decided that clear instructions are the more merciful option.

One of Strunk’s students was E.B. White, who graduated from Cornell in 1921 and went on to write for The New Yorker for decades, produce Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, and become one of the most admired prose stylists in American English. In 1957, Macmillan asked White to revise and expand Strunk’s little book for general publication. White did, adding a final chapter on style and updating the examples, and the result was published in 1959 as The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.

It has been continuously in print since then. It’s sold over ten million copies. It has been assigned in writing courses more times than anyone has bothered to count. It is 105 pages long. In high school, I dogeared a copy relentlessly as I tried to impress myself with the fact I was a real “writer,” which I was not. Yet.

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What it actually contains

The Elements of Style is divided into five sections: elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, matters of form, words and expressions commonly misused, and an approach to style. The first four sections are Strunk’s; the fifth is White’s addition and the most personal part of the book.

The famous rules are in the composition section. Rule 13: omit needless words. Rule 14: avoid a succession of loose sentences. Rule 17: place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end. These are not suggestions. Strunk presented them as rules, with the certainty of someone who has seen what happens when they’re ignored and does not find the results acceptable.

The most famous of them — “omit needless words” — is three words that contain an entire writing philosophy. The sentence is itself an example of what it prescribes. This is either the cleverest pedagogical moment in the history of English writing instruction or a coincidence that Strunk and White were too sensible to mention. Either way, the rule has been quoted, paraphrased, printed on posters, and tattooed on at least two writers I know of, and it is as correct now as it was in 1918.

White’s chapter on style

The fifth section, “An Approach to Style,” is where the book becomes something more than a rulebook and White’s voice takes over from Strunk’s. White offers 21 additional suggestions — he calls them suggestions rather than rules, a distinction that tells you something about the difference between the two men — covering everything from placing yourself in the background to avoiding fancy words to preferring the standard to the offbeat.

The most quoted of these is “write with nouns and verbs,” which is either obvious advice or the most useful sentence in the book depending on how many adjective-heavy drafts you’ve produced. White’s argument is that the vague, ornamental parts of speech are where weak writing hides, and that a sentence built on strong nouns and active verbs doesn’t need modification because it doesn’t need help.

White’s chapter is also the most honest about what the book can and can’t do. He acknowledges that style cannot be taught the way grammar can be taught, that the rules in the preceding sections are necessary but not sufficient, and that the final quality of the prose depends on something the book cannot provide. He doesn’t call that something talent exactly, but he comes close, and his restraint about it is itself a lesson in how to say something difficult without overstating it.

The criticisms

The Elements of Style has been criticized, with some reason. The linguist Geoffrey Pullum published a big attack on it in 2009, arguing that many of its grammatical rules are wrong, inconsistently applied, or based on usage preferences that Strunk and White incorrectly presented as rules. The passive voice section in particular has drawn fire: Strunk and White advise writers to prefer the active voice, which is sound advice, but they illustrate the passive voice with examples that are not actually passive constructions, which is embarrassing for a grammar textbook.

So writers who follow The Elements of Style into the passive voice section should tread with caution. The broader principles — clarity, brevity, active construction, omit needless words — are still sound. It’s just that some grammatical prescriptions deserve verification before being followed uncritically.

The other legitimate criticism is that The Elements of Style is primarily useful for expository and journalistic prose. Its rules apply less directly to fiction, where the “omit needless words” instruction can conflict with the demands of voice, rhythm, and character interiority. Gardner’s The Art of Fiction, reviewed elsewhere on Scribbright, handles those territories better. The Elements of Style is the right companion for non-fiction writers, journalists, essayists, and anyone whose primary goal is clear communication rather than literary effect.

The public domain question

The original 1918 Strunk edition is in the public domain and available online for free in multiple formats. It’s the version without White’s contributions, shorter and more purely prescriptive. For writers who want the complete book, including White’s style chapter, the standard published edition is the one to buy. For writers who want a quick reference for the core rules, the free version is entirely adequate.

The edition linked here is the standard paperback. There are also annotated editions and a Maira Kalman illustrated version that is lovely and somewhat beside the point, but exists for those who want their grammar reference to include splendid renderings.

How it sits alongside the other craft books here

Scribbright has now reviewed Bird by Bird, The Art of Fiction, and Danse Macabre in this territory. The Elements of Style sits apart from all of them. It’s not about the psychological experience of writing (Lamott). It is not a book about the craft of fiction (Gardner), or about the cultural significance of genre (King). It’s a book about sentences, and about the obligation to make them as clear and direct as possible.

It’s also a good deal shorter than any of the above, costs less, and can be read in an afternoon. The return on those three hours is disproportionate to your investment, which is exactly the argument Strunk would have made if Strunk had made arguments like that, which he wouldn’t have, because he would have said it in fewer words.

Pros

• 105 pages that have influenced more writers than any comparable book in English
• “Omit needless words” is the most useful three-word piece of writing instruction available
• White’s style chapter elevates the book from grammar manual to genuine craft discussion
• Short enough to read in an afternoon and reference for a career
• The original Strunk edition is free online for writers who want the core rules without paying
• Has been continuously in print since 1959; the case for its relevance has been made by time

Cons

• Some grammatical prescriptions are incorrect or based on preferences presented as rules
• The passive voice section is the most criticized and least reliable part of the book
• Less useful for fiction writers than for non-fiction, journalism, and expository prose
• Some examples and cultural references are dated
• The rules can be over-applied by writers who follow them without understanding when to break them

The verdict

The Elements of Style is the book that will make your sentences shorter, clearer, and more direct. It will not make you a writer — White is honest about that in the fifth section, and that honesty is one of the things that makes the book worth your time. It will make your sentences better, and better sentences are how you become a better writer, but the book isn’t a way to bypass the hard work involved.

Read it once. Then read it again when your prose has gotten loose. Then read it a third time when someone gives you feedback you’ve been told before, and you keep not following it. The book will give you the same advice each time, and what it’s telling you is correct.

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Michael Semer is a writer and editor who has read The Elements of Style more times than he has followed all its rules, and considers the gap between those two numbers his primary professional impediment.

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Frequently asked questions

What is The Elements of Style? A 105-page writing rulebook first written by Cornell professor William Strunk Jr. in 1918 and revised by his former student E.B. White in 1959. It covers elementary rules of usage, principles of composition, common word misuse, and White’s personal approach to style. It has sold over ten million copies and been assigned in more writing courses than anyone has counted.

Who wrote The Elements of Style? William Strunk Jr. wrote the original 1918 edition for his Cornell students. E.B. White, one of those students and later one of the most admired prose stylists in American English, revised and expanded it in 1959 at Macmillan’s request, adding the fifth chapter on style. White is also the author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little.

What is the most famous rule in The Elements of Style? “Omit needless words.” Three words that contain an entire writing philosophy, and which are themselves an example of what they prescribe. The rule appears in the composition section and has been quoted, printed on posters, and cited in writing classes continuously since 1959.

Is The Elements of Style still relevant? For expository prose, journalism, essays, and non-fiction writing: yes, as relevant as it ever was. The core principles — clarity, brevity, active construction, omit needless words — are sound. Some specific grammatical prescriptions have been disputed by linguists, particularly in the passive voice section. Read the core principles as reliable guidance and the specific grammar rules with some critical awareness.

Is The Elements of Style good for fiction writers? Less directly useful than for non-fiction writers. The rules apply to sentence-level clarity, which matters in fiction, but fiction also requires voice, rhythm, and interiority that can conflict with strict application of the rules. Gardner’s The Art of Fiction, reviewed on Scribbright, handles the craft of fiction more directly. Most fiction writers benefit from knowing The Elements of Style while understanding when to set it aside.

Is the original Strunk edition available for free? Yes. The 1918 Strunk edition is in the public domain and available free online in multiple formats. It contains the core rules without White’s additions. For the complete book including White’s style chapter, the published edition is necessary.

How long does it take to read The Elements of Style? An afternoon. The book is 105 pages, the prose is dense but clear, and there is no padding. Most writers read it faster than they expect to and are surprised by how much they retain.