RFI; can anyone recommend a style guide for prose writing? I know I'm doing a few things wrong (punctuation in speech, for example), and I'd like to have a reference for how to do it correctly.
I'm not entirely inclined to agree. It's a classic, sure, but it's not very comprehensive, and it's terrible for looking up specific problems.
I really like Don LePan's newer Broadview Guide to Writing and Broadview Book of Common Errors in English. People have praised On Writing Well; too, but I haven't read it.
Also, Anne Stilman's Grammatically Corret is pretty good.
The Elements of Style is certainly not comprehensive, but my understanding is that it wasn't meant to be. The original book was only 43 pages long. I'm rereading it at the moment, so I will admit to being biased towards it. As a guide for how to write clearly and concisely, it's invaluable.
If what Matt is looking for is a guide to troubleshooting common grammatical problems, then I agree that Strunk and White is not the ideal guide.
When I was in my first year of university, I bought a guide to writing and grammar that was wonderful. It was simple, easy to understand and full of examples. It was written by a faculty member at my university and thus had a limited print run. I lent it to someone many years later and never saw it again. :(
Oh, for what it was meant to be Strunk&White is lovely. I've just found it frustrating whenever I've needed to look up a specific problem, so I tend to recommend it for reading but not for reference, if you know what I mean.
Phooey on people who steal reference books!
As a comprehensive reference, I adore the New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage, but it's a vast, weighty tome, and might be overkill for curgoth's purposes.
We used Margot Northey's Making Sense in high school, and I found it really handy, but I haven't seen it since then.
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I really like Don LePan's newer Broadview Guide to Writing and Broadview Book of Common Errors in English. People have praised On Writing Well; too, but I haven't read it.
Also, Anne Stilman's Grammatically Corret is pretty good.
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If what Matt is looking for is a guide to troubleshooting common grammatical problems, then I agree that Strunk and White is not the ideal guide.
When I was in my first year of university, I bought a guide to writing and grammar that was wonderful. It was simple, easy to understand and full of examples. It was written by a faculty member at my university and thus had a limited print run. I lent it to someone many years later and never saw it again. :(
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Phooey on people who steal reference books!
As a comprehensive reference, I adore the New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage, but it's a vast, weighty tome, and might be overkill for
We used Margot Northey's Making Sense in high school, and I found it really handy, but I haven't seen it since then.