Strunk and White: 50 years of “stupid grammar advice”
Did you hear the interview with linguist Geoffrey Pullum yesterday on Talk of the Nation? Pullum argues quite eloquently that The Elements of Style is a poorly written book, and it’s done nothing to improve the grammar of American students in 50 years. In fact, Pullum argues it’s made matters worse.
Pullum is co-author of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language.
This is our first encounter with this argument; we’ve had our cherished copy of Strunk and White for more than 20 years. But we’re open to other views, and we’re pleased that NPR was also willing to allow another viewpoint in the room on the 50th anniversary of The Elements of Style.
Here’s a piece Pullum wrote in this week’s The Chronicle of Higher Education.
