This little classic offers evergreen advice on composition, word choice and style.
(Norfolk, Va., October 12, 2026) — I spy meandering sentences and questionable word choices everywhere: the exhaustive news lead, the rambling blog post, the email that could have said it all in a few words.
When I was a fledgling advertising and public relations writer, I loved the ping of the keys as I crafted copy meant to persuade readers and influence the masses.
A wise colleague intervened, leaving her dog-eared copy of The Elements of Style on my desk.
Written by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (yes, of Charlotte’s Web fame), this little classic offers timeless lessons in clear writing, strong word choice and style. Among the authors’ recommendations:
Write naturally
Use active voice
Write with nouns and verbs
Do not overstate
Revise and rewrite
Never sacrifice clarity for convenience
My battered copy; like a well-worn boot with a story to tell.
White described Strunk’s parvum opus as an attempt to “cut the vast tangle of English rhetoric down to size and write its rules and principles on the head of a pin.”
Wise words. Long live this little book.
Elizabeth Evans, founder of Evans & Company, is a longtime word wrangler, still learning when to put down the pen and forever grateful for the delete key. Find her at https://www.evansatwork.com/services
