An <i>Old</i> Friend

Needed or needless words? Photo: Ihtisham Kabir

While rummaging through a storage box the other day, I found an old friend, a book called The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.
I learned more about writing from this book than from any other and was delighted to find my misplaced treasure.
The book has an unusual background. Almost a century ago, Strunk was a professor at Cornell University where he taught an English writing course using a thin book he had written and published privately. In 1919, E. B. White took this course as a student. It left a deep impression. White went on to become a famous writer (Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little.) But he never forgot Strunk and his book.
In 1959, the publisher Macmillan asked White to revise Strunk's book for publication and widespread distribution. White dusted off Strunk's original book, edited it, and added a new chapter called “An Approach to Style.”
The resulting book has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
My copy is two decades old, its binding frayed and its pages yellow. Instead of the new book smell, it has that pungent odour that books in the tropics wear after a few years. Although it is dog-eared from use, it remains unmarked. There is a reason: I find every word of the book valuable. So much wisdom is packed into its eighty four pages that it is impossible to highlight one section or one phrase over another.
What does it teach about writing? In Strunk's words:
“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”
Consider, for example, Rule 17: “Omit needless words.” How sweet life would be without needless words! Speeches would become interesting and audiences would actually listen. Powerpoint slide presentations would inform instead of bore. Best of all, most politicians would fall silent.
Rule 16 is about being specific instead of vague: “Use definite, specific, concrete language.” As example, one should write “It rained every day for a week” instead of “A period of unfavourable weather set in.”
The authors encourage bold, direct writing. Rule 14 says “Use the active voice.” Thus, the phrase “I shall always remember my first visit to Boston” is better than “My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me,” because the passive sounds wishy-washy. Rule 15, “Put statements in positive form,” reinforces directness. Instead of “He was not very often on time,” we write “He usually came late.”
The book's last essay has White discussing writing style. After providing examples from Hemingway to Whitman, he summarizes thus: “the approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity.” A helpful list of rules follows.
Grammar books are often dull. But thanks to Strunk's vigour and White's sophistication, The Elements of Style is a joy to read. And re-read.

www.facebook.com/tangents.ikabir