While killing a few minutes before I left for a luncheon I started listening to an NPR’s Talk of the Nation on my iPhone. The topic was, “50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice.” It’s the title of an article recently published in The Chronicle of Higher Education by Geoffrey K. Pullum.
It’s a smackdown of Stunk and White’s The Elements of Style that is both humorous and timely, given that April 16th is the 50th anniversary of the book’s publication.
All I can say is that had he been my English teacher oh so many years ago, I might, and only might mind you, have become a better writer. As it is, this is the best I can do. On the other hand, as the article that goes along with the NPR interview points out that Dorothy Parker had her own opinion. I’m fond of the second bit of advice she gives.
If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.
Dorothy Parker
Aloha!