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

Quotes

• “While The Sense of Style is very much a practical guide to clear and compelling writing, it’s also far more…In the end, Pinker’s formula for good writing is pretty basic: write clearly, try to follow the rules most of the time—but only the when they make sense. It’s neither rocket science nor brain surgery. But the wit and insight and clarity he brings to that simple formula is what makes this book such a gem.”

  — Time

• “Finally, a writing guide for the new millenium, mindful of linguistic pitfalls in gender-neutral pronouns, chat rooms, and, perhaps most important, your OkCupid profile.”

  — O, The Oprah Magazine

• “Pinker’s linguistical learning…is considerable. His knowledge of grammar is extensive and runs deep. He also takes a scarcely hidden delight in exploding tradition. He describes his own temperament as ‘both logical and rebellious.’ Few things give him more pleasure than popping the buttons off what he takes to be stuffed shirts.”

  — Wall Street Journal

• “He writes like an angel.”

  — Economist (London)

• “Pinker’s scholarship is astounding…flawless…masterful.”

  — Times (London)

• “Who among us is more qualified to write a guide to writing cogently than someone who can make psycholinguistics intelligible and interesting? Stephen Pinker has earned two Pulitzer Prize nominations for doing just that. In this refreshingly unconventional writing primer, he offers real-world advice on crafting smooth, comprehensible prose. A calming, intelligent writing guide for people who worry about their writing. Editor’s recommendation.”

  — Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review

• “[The Sense of Style] is more contemporary and comprehensive than The Elements of Style, illustrated with comic strips and cartoons and lots of examples of comically bad writing. [Pinker’s] voice is calm, reasonable, benign, and you can easily see why he’s one of Harvard’s most popular lecturers.”

  — New York Times

• “Words can hardly do justice to the superlative range and liveliness of Pinker’s investigations.”

  — Independent (London)

• “Forget Strunk and White’s rules—cognitive science is a surer basis for clear and cogent writing, according to this iconoclastic guide from bestselling Harvard psycholinguist Pinker…Every writer can profit from—and every writer can enjoy—Pinker’s analysis of the ways in which skillfully chosen words engage the mind.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “Yet another how-to book on writing? Indeed, but this is one of the best to come along in many years, a model of intelligent signposting and syntactical comportment…A worthy addition to any writer’s library.”

  — Kirkus Reviews