The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White. Or. The Dangerous Little Grammar Book.

[Typing...]

Grammar. Where would we be without it? The arbitrary rules with mutual consensus. I picked up a little book some years ago. It defined my writing style for a time. Though eventually I broke away from it. Some parts still linger, however there came a point when I stopped caring about grammar. As long as the spirit is there with clarity and sound, what worth is there to uphold a rigorous standard?

I am thankful to this little book, though aggrieved. That it gave me structure when I felt lost. From time to time I flip through the pages to find a new perspective on which rules to apply and which to break. Through this way I find a style of writing I call my own.

List of mirrors to the book.

• Gutenberg
• Wikisource
• Pastebin

 

[GDLiZy]

If you read this book even only once you are already better than more than half of all SH authors grammar wise.

 

[thedude3445]

I have read a few style guides in my time (I DID major in Writing & Linguistics so it was for classes... mostly... please don't bully me), and they have helped immensely in understanding the rules of communication through text. There's a reason there are so many grammatical rules in writing that aren't rules in speech, and it's because effective communication is paramount in most forms of (professional) writing.

There are certain parts of grammar, though, that aren't "consensus." Split infinitives, dangling participles, the Oxford comma... there's all these "rules" that SOME style guides use or care about, and other style guides are completely different. At that point, the only rule becomes, are you consistent? If so, then yay, you win. Who cares if I put a space after ellipses? Nobody... Except people who are a little too strict with their specific idea of grammar, I guess.