Why ‘The Elements of Style’ is out of style

Studio 360
The Elements of Style

In 1959, The New York Times praised “The Elements of Style” as a “splendid trophy for all who are interested in reading and writing.” According to The Guardian, the slim writing guide by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White is one of the 25 best nonfiction books of all time.

John McWhorter, on the other hand, disagrees. He's the host of the Slate podcast “Lexicon Valley” and teaches linguistics, philosophy and music at Columbia.

He explains why Strunk and White's many rules — such as avoiding the passive voice, qualifiers and the word “hopefully” — are completely arbitrary and do little but make “good people insecure about their speech and their writing.” 

“Strunk and White does not have the authority of, say, the table of the elements or ‘Gray's Anatomy,’” McWhorter says. “It's just a couple of guys.” 

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!