Comparing Strunk & White to Williams

Williams' book was very dry for me. He wrote an entire book on how to sound clear. Yes, I understand that it is important for me to communicate my ideas effectively. But all of his prompts aren't always appropriate, and this is something that Strunk and White recognized, which I really liked. They noted that most of the book contained preferences to how writing should be, not "rules". Williams seemed to think his writing was the best, and he didn't always follow grammar rules, something Strunk and White most certainly did, and stated was important.

Both books state that we must BE CLEAR. Do not use large words that have a simpler, more appropriate synonym. Do not use lengthy sentences. Where do we draw the line? We want to sound educated and intelligent, but we do not want to be confusing or unreadable. Neither book really touched upon this, and it is something I would like to hear from both authors.

I think Strunk and White present a clearer argument of how writing should be. Williams tends to be a little redundant. I think the rules and regulations Strunk and White list are in a much more effective format, with rule then explanation. Williams absolutely presented many good arguments when discussing how to write concisely, but I think Strunk and White blew him out of the water.

My previous blog discussed the things I didn’t like and liked about Strunk and White. I talked about not liking the fact that we are supposed to “avoid fancy words”. Well, Williams said that too. Most of the ideas that Strunk and White claimed about clarity are in Williams’ book as well.

Williams seems to have a different take on “orthodox” language use. He does not really support a socially acceptable and appropriate language; he is wishy-washy here. Strunk and White and I all believe that it is important to use correct spellings and words because it distracts the reader from the message. Williams seems to think that though we have grammar rules, they are not all necessary for us to communicate those messages.

I enjoyed Strunk and White much more. It’s funny, Williams tells us to be clear, and yet his ideas seem confusing and abstract as well. I found myself rereading a lot with this book, whereas Strunk and White was straight-forward. Perhaps Williams should take some of his own advice when writing.