The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century [Paperback] Pinker, Steven

A fine contemporary style guideThere are books which the blurb on the back cover calls 'unputdownable'. Then there are books to be worked at. This is one of those. If you want a relaxed read through the elements of classic writing style, this is not for you.However Steven Pinker's work is delightful in a different way. It goes beyond the borders of grammar; and the play of words, the turn of phrase and the subtle humour make the plough worth it.The best parts are where he analyzes the debatable issues and shows you how different senses of a word/phrase make certain exceptions possible ('very unique' is acceptable in certain cases, 𝘦.𝘨.).Pick it up when you have plenty of days at hand for it's not a work to be finished in one sitting.But yes, the dividends are rich, once you go through it. You get clarity on a number of doubts (you were afraid to ask).After I got it for my Kindle ereader, I ordered a hard copy as well as I realized its worth as a reference manual.📚📖📓

I have mixed feelings about this book. Style guides are difficult to read and tend to be pedantic. Hence, the difficulty in reading the book is a genre problem rather than the author's capability to engage with the reader.There are many useful suggestions and the author takes a long and circuitous route to explain all the rules and logics used in grammar. The best thing about the book is that it doesnot propogate rules - and rather gives the tools to the authors. The rules and usage guidelines change from time to time as per the reader's expectations. That's my biggest take away

Firstly, this isn't a casual/easy read, even for serious readers, I presume. That said, the wisdom this book packs is immense, to say the least. For me, personally, as a professional writer and editor hailing from a tech background, this book has been a 'friendly' guide. Hats off (in utter humility) to the author, who, I'd say, has gone beyond the extra mile in capturing and conveying his years of knowledge in the most engaging and thought-provoking manner possible....and like many others who've read the book, I would also have to read it a second time to capture, in its entirety, the knowledge it conveys. In the process, I'd hop from one chapter to the next with the 'high' of having learned (and reinforced) something new about what I knew I knew.

Good delivery from Amazon. Good book. I have bought this for my son who is undergoing his ug course in English. He has appreciated it. Useful for academic support.

A very good read for improving academic writing. In fact, this book is not for learning how to write, but it for those who want to learn how to revise the already written text. Therefore, it is not for beginers who want to learn academic writing.

No complain against the content of the book, but very poor binding and page quality

It's should be read like a math or physics book otherwise you are reading gibberish

Very briefly - extraordinary. Pinker's book is on how to write well, and this book is a demonstration of how it is done. I am half way through it at the moment, and I will come back and write a full review when I am done.