The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

Love the clarity and freedom from the rigid followership of Strunk & White...even though I still refer to that guide regularly, like millions of others. Appreciate a new guide for the current age! & one that is actually interesting to read!

Steven Pinker is an intellectual super star. He has written some marvelous books. So naturally anyone who is interested in picking up tips and insights on writing well would want to read his book. Alas, it is too academic, and actually difficult to read. His writing is fine, but the subjects he focuses on are of minor interest—at least to me, and I think to most readers. And he dwells too long on each topic. I have collected and read a number of style manuals. This one, I believe, is of little use to any aspiring writer. I am honestly baffled by the good reviews of this book.

While there are some interesting points here, Pinsker tries to split the difference between prescriptivists and descriptivists, and in my opinion, does not do the best job. Also, it is kind of off-putting that when looking for samples of excellent writing, he cites a passage written by his wife. No bias there?

Pinker accomplishes exactly what he describes as good, responsible writing--treating the reader with respect and camaraderie. He guides the reader through thickets of language usage, describing where we are, how we got here and how to navigate the terrain, giving the sense that finding one's way alone would be possible.

The sample provided by the store was certainly inviting and was a good start to the book. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter I found it very heavy going. Being halfway through now, I seem to have only picked up on 2 or 3 points that the author is trying to make. Like watching really odd movies, I hope the ending is worth waiting for. I would say this book is not for simple enthusiasts of English like me but not sure who could actually benefit from it as it does not appear (so far) to be a reference manual and I cannot see how experienced writers are likely to persist with it. I enjoyed reading the Alex Sheremet review on here as I thought it summarised the book (albeit critically) and was easy to follow. I wish I had read it before purchase.

I always enjoy Steven Pinker's writing. I enjoyed this book too - and I bought it because I write quite a bit. But have to confess that not much has stuck. It's not a book of rules (a good thing). There's a lot of interesting history; and it encourages freer and hopefully better writing.

I'm really enjoying Pinker's writing, quite wonderfully as an illustration of the style he toutes. The book is clear and enjoyable reading in and of itself and I recommend it to anyone who wants to write in a clear and lively way.

Non fiction writers gather around and learn from the master. Steven will help bring Clarity to your writing while allowing the reader to easily embrace your thoughts and ideas. The book improved my writing and my reading.

Really interesting book. Lots of examples. Nicely presented. Gets a little technical with the sentence diagrams.
Well worth while reading, even if you are not planning to be a big time author.
Could improve day-to-day communication. Good for your recipients, they won't need to work as hard to understand your thoughts.

Don't use the above paragraph as an example of improved writing!

This book is great! It's important! It's totally not boring, and it will teach you something. Additionally, it will back you up. You won't feel so frustrated. You'll feel vindicated and understood. Finally! Read this book and revel in the gloriousness that comes into being when someone sets outdated cultural ideas to the side and takes the time to talk about how we actually communicate. Woohoo!

Is this book really possible? It is a style guide, so it ought to be boring. Yet, it is a page-turner, written with such elegance and verve that it rises to the level of literature. Satisfying, thought provoking, entertaining. A great read. Upon reflection, that makes sense. Should we trust a style guide that has no style? Should you choose to read it, I expect you will enjoy the trip.

Thinking person’s guide to writing. What a requirement! Somehow excited, I started this sipping strong coffee to awake the thinking being this Pinker guy was demanding. He compiled some amusing examples together with an engaging discussion. As a result, some graceful and logically connected texts shall be written around here soon; or not.

Pinker is an amazing writer, and his examples and insights are a treat to read. He doesn't bother with simple rules like "never end a sentence with a preposition", but instead looks deeply at how good writers can focus their subjects in a way that makes the reader feel like they are taking part in a discovery.

This book explains how to clearly communicate ideas by focusing on Classic Style: that is, a style that directs readers' attention to abstract ideas by using concrete images. His reliance on reverse engineering is well done. Of course, the writing is impeccable so just reading this book will help your writing.

This is, of course, well written. And, of course, it's very sensible in its response to the "rules" of good writing. And it's often fun, particularly in the examples Pinker gives. The only real problem: It's just too damn long. But then, one can do what I did and skim; there's too many other good books to read with that valuable time.

Dr. Pinker has done it again — written a sensational book about writing and language. The Sense of Style clobbers the grammar purists and demonstrates why the concept of pure English grammar doesn’t work. Using his own lightweight style of writing, he amuses as he peruses the depths of language problems today. He writes, “Language is not a protocol legislated by an authority but rather a wiki that pools the contributions of millions of writers and speakers….” The remainder of that sentence includes the reasoning behind such a statement defining those millions as “…writers and speakers, who ceaselessly bend the language to their needs and who inexorably age, die, and get replaced by their children, who adapt the language in their turn.” Language is fluid; language changes; keeping up is the onus of succeeding generations. And Dr. Pinker stands up to that job very well.

As a writer and proponent of nonsexist language, I was troubled by Dr. Pinker’s problem with the e-word: egalitarian. He tried to treat language genders equally, but chose to write what I call an “e-qualifier”, announcing he would “refer to a generic writer of one sex and a generic reader of the other” in one chapter and the reverse in the next. Then he tossed a coin to decide which gender gets to go first. V-e-r-y confusing. Why not use one of the dozen ways to write around the elusive perpetrator — the third-person-singular pronoun (she/he/it)? The alternatives often result in more accurate representations of the antecedent nouns.

The best part of The Sense of Style is the last chapter, “Telling Right From Wrong” which writers can depend upon as excellent advice from a pro! Dr. Pinker reviews — with style — the numerous bugaboos of many writers, and explains why they’re confusing. Most of us writers began careers with Strunk and White’s Elements of Style tucked under our typewriters. Good ideas at the time. But in the 21st century, the opportunities of grammar usage have expanded so wildly that we need another expert linguist and writer to help. The Sense of Style provides that — with class!

Pinker's choice of illustrations for this guide book on style is as educational as are his comments and analysis. It is a pleasure to read and study a book so well-written and beautifully illustrated, but the feeling of guilt for still reading Strunk and White persists although one of the assignments I had my English majors complete had to do with debunking some of the 19th C. assumptions about style and usage!