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A General Style Guide for the English Language/Introduction

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This book is intended as a guide for any user of the English language on what constitutes good use thereof. It was largely inspired by an article by Geoff Pullum in the Chronicle of Higher Education,[1] which criticised the Elements of Style by Strunk and White for its misleading, ill-informed and self-contradictory advice. I am writing this partly, therefore, as a rewrite and extension of that 'classic' book, and partly as a standalone style guide, suitable for use in the classroom and in everyday life.

That is not to say Strunk and White's guide was completely wrong. A great deal of its advice was neutral at worst. However, why not take advantage of the collaborative wiki model in order to iron out some of the wrinkles?

References

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  1. "50 Years of Stupid Grammar". Retrieved 2012-01-17.