The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
by Steven Pinker · Penguin Books
A cognitive scientist's account of why some prose is readable and some is not: the curse of knowledge, classic style, syntactic trees, coherence. Closes with evidence-based verdicts on disputed usage rules, replacing inherited superstition with linguistic evidence.
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More resources on English Grammar & Style
Garner's Modern English Usage (5th Edition)
Alphabetical usage dictionary covering thousands of contested points, each judged against corpus frequency data and a five-stage Language-Change Index rather than assertion. The standard desk reference for editors, lawyers and professional writers working in American English.
Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (12th Edition)
A diagnostic method for revising sentences: put characters in subjects and actions in verbs, manage old-to-new information flow, then control emphasis, concision and cohesion across paragraphs. Exercises follow every principle, which is why writing programmes assign it.
A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2nd Edition)
The one book that answers 'how does English actually work' instead of 'what should I not write'. The accessible companion to the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, describing how English syntax actually works: word classes, clause structure, complements versus adjuncts, coordination. Descriptive rather than prescriptive, and openly critical of traditional rule folklore.
Purdue OWL: Grammar
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab maintains free reference pages on parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, tense, articles, punctuation and sentence construction, each with worked examples and exercises. The standard first-stop grammar reference for American students.
Style: Toward Clarity and Grace
Williams diagnoses why prose reads as dense and supplies repeatable revision rules built on subjects-as-characters and verbs-as-actions. Readers can rewrite tangled sentences and paragraphs into clear ones instead of guessing from vague style advice.
UQx: English Grammar and Style
University of Queensland's WRITE101x covers grammatical principles, word usage, punctuation, and sentence and paragraph structure. After finishing, you can name the parts of a sentence, correct common usage errors, and edit your own writing for clarity.