Towards Clarity and Boredom :: Writing Writers Education English Essays

Towards Clarity and BoredomBegrudgingly Admitting the Usefulness of Style Books When God stood all over the Earth, rumor has it he decreed that he felt the need to punish English Students everywhere. His response was swift and to the point he gave the world Style Guides. taking the big guys cue, William Strunk Jr, E.B.White and Joseph Williams all set about to light that path and frustrate writers and students everywhere. Mission accomplished. However boring they might be, they do, in fact, befriend light the path to writing and proper English style. In the end, while both books might be on the dry side, they both are striking resources and often plug the others holes. Dealing with The Elements of Style first, its very clear to me that both Strunk and White really hated going over the same rules again and again year after year with each new crop of Freshmen every semester. That seems to be the overall tone of the book. You can most see the kind of g uy who wrote this a foppish older book possibly British who stands over you and berates you over the do and donts of proper semi-colon usage. Sounds wish well a blast. While definitely not a rock and roll show by any stretch, The Elements of Style has several perks outside the content. First issue is that the book is only 85 pages. 85 Pages is something that, maybe, a student could read on a public bus on the way to an English class. Its small, sleek, compact and easy to reference from. Also, its been written in a style that interjects some humor into the rather vanilla topic. Finally, Strunk and White keep it light. there isnt anything more then the rule, a few examples and a brief passage about the rule. Nothing more, nothing less. Personally, there were a few rules from the joust of several hundred that will benefit me in my present and future writing endeavors. Do not break sentences in two (Strunk and White 7) is a rule that is good to keep handy.