College graduates Quote by Geoffrey Pullum
““The Elements of Style does not deserve the enormous esteem in which it is held by American college graduates. Its advice ranges from limp platitudes to inconsistent nonsense. Its enormous influence has not improved American students' grasp of English grammar; it has significantly degraded it.””
About This Quote
Source Article: The Elements of Style Review, The Guardian, 2014
The author criticizes the book's high reputation, calling its advice shallow and harmful to students' grammar understanding.
In simple terms: The style guide is overrated and damaging.
Key Takeaway
Question the authority of popular writing guides.
Themes
education
language
critique
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
critical
reflective
When to use this quote
- writing courses
- editing workshops
- curriculum design
- self‑study
Key Concepts
prescriptivism
pedagogy
Questions to Reflect On
- Should we replace it with modern resources?
- How can grammar be taught more effectively?
A Different Perspective
Some readers still find value in its concise rules.
![“I believe it is imperative to see modern English grammar as a rich and diverse linguistic system deposited on our [England's] shores 1,500 years ago, and left with us unweakened, though substantially changed by the social and political events of the intervening period.” quote by Robert Burchfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/620/robert-burchfield-39223_believe_i-believe-it-is-imperative-to-see-modern_818844.jpg)
![“The average college graduate's proficient literacy in English [the ability to read lengthy, complex texts and draw complicated inferences] has declined from 40 percent in 1992 to 31 percent ten years later.” quote by Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/abf/charles-colson-7127_ability_the-average-college-graduate-s-proficien_246756.jpg)
