The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

 “Charming and erudite," from the author of Enlightenment Now, "The wit and insight and clarity he brings . . . is what makes this book such a gem.” —Time.com
 
Why is so much writing so bad, and how can we make it better? Is the English language being corrupted by texting and social media? Do the kids today even care about good writing—and why should we care? From the author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now.

In this entertaining and eminently practical book, the cognitive scientist, dictionary consultant, and New York Times–bestselling author Steven Pinker rethinks the usage guide for the twenty-first century. Using examples of great and gruesome modern prose while avoiding the scolding tone and Spartan tastes of the classic manuals, he shows how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right. The Sense of Style is for writers of all kinds, and for readers who are interested in letters and literature and are curious about the ways in which the sciences of mind can illuminate how language works at its best.

• The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction
• Become What You Are
• The Art of Fact: A Historical Anthology of Literary Journalism
• Pastoralia
• Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
• On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
• Words and Rules: The Ingredients Of Language (Science Masters Series)
• The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
• The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
• WRITE TIGHT: Say Exactly What You Mean with Precision and Power