the book that ate America's brain"

MollyB   Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:33 am GMT
Is it really fair to call Strunk and White's The Elements of Style "the book that ate America's brain" (Geoffrey K. Pullum)?
Lazar   Thu Jun 18, 2009 7:56 am GMT
Yes; Pullum and Liberman have posted extensively about the book's flaws and unjustified pronouncements, and a great number of Americans have come to accept the thing unquestioningly.
Elements of Style   Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:45 am GMT
It should be called "The Elements of Formulaic Writing", because if you write like that then you don't have any style. I mean style as in, 'stylish', if you get my drift.
MrPedantic   Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:17 am GMT
It's fair to call G.W. Bush "the man who ate America's brain".

MrP
MollyB   Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:18 am GMT
<I mean style as in, 'stylish', if you get my drift. >

I get it.
badwriter   Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:58 am GMT
<<It should be called "The Elements of Formulaic Writing", because if you write like that then you don't have any style.>>

What's the point of writing stylish prose for everday documents? I can see the value of style if you're writing literature or magazine/newspaper articles meant for wide readership. In this case you need to be entertaining so as to attract more readers.

In my case, I normally write specs, program comments, emails, etc. The very limited readership is looking (sometimes desperately) for information, and doesn't need to be entertained while reading it.

BTW -- I always hated English composition class. The only thing worse was composition in foreign languages.
MikeyC   Thu Jun 18, 2009 1:28 pm GMT
How's this for brain burning prescriptivism?

"Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs" (The Elements of Style, p. 71).
MrPedantic   Thu Jun 18, 2009 4:54 pm GMT
<It's fair to call G.W. Bush "the man who ate America's brain". >

Posted under my usual screen name; but not by me.

No doubt the IP will reveal the source.

MrP
blanc   Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:27 pm GMT
MrPedantic,

Just let it go. If someone is impersonating you, you sure must be making it a lot of fun for them. If you'd just ignore them they'd be more likely to get bored.
randy chang   Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:38 am GMT
<<Just let it go. If someone is impersonating you, you sure must be making it a lot of fun for them. If you'd just ignore them they'd be more likely to get bored. >>

Just start posting under random, always-changing names. That way, nobody can really impersonate you.
MrPedantic   Fri Jun 19, 2009 6:37 am GMT
<Just let it go. If someone is impersonating you, you sure must be making it a lot of fun for them. If you'd just ignore them they'd be more likely to get bored. >

Yes, I think you're right. It's just frustrating when someone is trying to paint you as a troll and moaning old sod. I'm far from being that - though I do tend to moderate where I'm not asked.

Thanks for your thoughts.

MrP
Guest   Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:51 am GMT
Please be assured that all of it were only Molly's mischiefs. You are what you are, you're being pedantic and we love you like that.
You Can't Impersonate Me   Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:00 pm GMT
<though I do tend to moderate where I'm not asked. >

That's a typical statement that appears in the posts where MollyB is impersonating MrPedantic. MrPedantic opposes MollyB's trolling and insolence, and MollyB hates this, so MollyB has to resort to being even more of a troll or complaining like a crybaby, now using pathetic tricks such as impersonating his opponents and make them sound like they have changed their mind or have a particular opinion. He will definitely impersonate me as well and say something so pathetic to defend himself that even a child would figure it out. I am really curious to see how pathetic he can get this time.

No one wants you, you are not welcome anywhere anymore, you have been banned from almost every forum already, face it. Please take my advice: get a fucking life before it's too late.
unwanted   Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:33 pm GMT
<<No one wants you, you are not welcome anywhere anymore, you have been banned from almost every forum already>>

Isn't everyone welcome here at Antimoon? Sort of like a Usenet Newsgroup.
MollyB   Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:43 am GMT
<That's a typical statement that appears in the posts where MollyB is impersonating MrPedantic. >

Not me I'm afraid. MrP collects enemies like Gibbons collected stamps, from all around the globe. ;-)

<MrPedantic opposes MollyB's trolling and insolence, and MollyB hates this>

Naaa! Wrong again. One gets used to MrP's stalking, sniping and trolling. It's actually MrP who hates Molly. That's because she questions his overbearing belief in his view of language use. He likes to appear as THE expert on all forums, and hates it when he's challenged.