Woe Is I

Patricia T. O'Conner

New York: Riverhead Books, 1996; Pp. xii, 227

Every person engaged in writing has a battered copy of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style (or should have it if he does not). There are numerous other little "style guides" that give the rules of modern English/American usage, and that are filled with pundits' advice to writers. Except the classic S&W, most of them are dry, pedantic, and, let's face it, quite boring; so much so, that most of us never got beyond the introduction. Until I read Woe Is I, only one other book had found a permanent place near my desk: Iyn Dupre's Bugs in Writing.

O'Conner's book is a delight to read, not only because every page is filled with useful corrective to common mistakes, but because it is written in a tongue-in-cheek style that is delightfully free of technical jargon. Although ostensibly about grammar, the book is really about usage of language in writing and includes a discussion of the "proper use" of clichés, and a list of commonly confused verbs along with the more traditional rules of pronouns, punctuation, and forming plurals. With a refreshing light-heartedness, O'Conner trashes usage so widespread that the dictionaries are in danger of adopting it. However, since she does everything in moderation, she is prepared to accept some of the new inventions that are strictly incorrect by traditional rules. As she notes, English is a living language that undergoes constant development and adjustment. I agree. I also agree that this is part of what's so exciting about it.

My favorite chapter is "The Living Dead: Let Bygone Rules Be Gone," which debunks almost every cherished rule you learned in school and never understood. Among the R.I.P.'s are my favorite: (i) don't split an infinitive; (ii) don't end a sentence with a preposition; and (iii) never use the passive voice. I have struggled endlessly with English professors about these and now I feel vindicated.

December 13, 2001

@book{oconner-96,
  title     = {Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English},
  author    = {Patricia T. O'Conner},
  year      = {1996},
  publisher = {Riverhead Books},
  address   = {New York},
  isbn      = {1-57322-625-4},
  note      = {Index; Pp. xii, 227}
}