> There are very few people that take stuff like "The Elements of Style" seriously.
That's because it's garbage. Learning to write is great. But that is best done by reading good writing and practicing. A list of rules that constantly violates its own advice because obeying it would make the text hard to read is not of any value.
First of all, uttering criticism is taking something serious, no?
Second, I cannot judge the grammar part, and style is always debatable. But the rules for style were hardly inconsistent when I read the book. "Omit needless words." is the most useful one, especially for academic writing.
That's because it's garbage. Learning to write is great. But that is best done by reading good writing and practicing. A list of rules that constantly violates its own advice because obeying it would make the text hard to read is not of any value.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/50-years-of-stupid-grammar...