Happy Birthday Strunk and White!

I was perusing the New York Times' Review of Books only to come across a tribute to one of the staple handbooks of my undergraduate (and later graduate) career. I was sitting in a second-year political science tutorial one summer at the University of Toronto when I first learned about the slender tome. I didn't much care for the TA or my grade in the class, but it was on her recommendation that I invested in my silver-coloured copy of The Elements of Style, as well as Kate Turabian's guide. Both accompanied me from Toronto to Baltimore and back again, and were used frequently over those five years.

Geoffrey Pullham, head of linguistics and English at the University of Edinburgh chides Strunk and White for their reductionism, oversights, and errors in The Chronicle of Higher Education. An expert on English syntax, Pullham pulls no punches in consigning The Elements of Style to the trash heap of superfluous and, indeed, useless grammar aids (and for a number of good reasons).

However, to today's undergraduates, many of whom seem to be emerging from high school barely able to form grammatically correct sentences (I blame texting, e-mail, instant messaging, and Twitter), The Elements of Style may still prove a useful tool for outlining some of the do's and don'ts they truly don't know! As a teaching assistant, I graded papers that demonstrated the feeblest grasp of the English language -- and this by native speakers! Though Strunk and White may not solve all their problems, it does offer some general hints for the clueless college co-ed.

It isn't my intention to turn this into a critique of the educational system, its strengths and shortcomings. My entirely unsubstantiated and unscholarly opinion is that young people do not read anymore, which inevitably has a negative impact on their ability to communicate in written form. I am a strong believer in the notion that syntax is learned; syntactic constructions are repeated and subsequently internalized through exposure to highbrow literature -- from the classics to academic articles and beyond. I'm not suggesting that we revamp the entire school system to introduce a rigorous curriculum in which we inculcate our youngsters with facts and grammar a la Thomas Gradgrind; rather, I think many students can still profit from a copy of Strunk and White, since many never seem to learn the the most basic principles of English grammar or how to communicate effectively in writing.

At any rate, Happy Birthday Strunk and White! Congratulations on turning 50, and may you continue to fill the shelves of college dorm rooms for years to come!