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/lit/ - Literature

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2637435 No.2637435[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

What's /lit/ opinion about manuals? Are they userful?

>> No.2637438

they help connect your grinds and flips

>> No.2637439
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2637439

Gotta learn the rules so you can break them.

>> No.2637450
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2637450

>>2637435

For ESL student, how useful is this guide?

>> No.2637468

Only useful if you're being forced to work in a specific format, then the style guide for that format is of course useful.

Elements of Style, on the other hand, is mostly retarded.
http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497

>> No.2637476
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2637476

>>2637450
It will quickly learn you not to try to impress people with all your fancy words and compound sentences. It's essentially keep it simple, stupid, for writers. Definitely not the only way.

inb4 that fag who talks about how inaccurate the style guide is as if that is even possible to be inaccurate when outlining your own style

>> No.2637479

Very useful.

Strunk & White, however, is pure shit. Not even gonna argue this, because I've done it so many times. Don't believe me if you don't want to, I'll be over here with my chicago manual of style, not being afraid of the passive voice like a faggot.

>> No.2637486

>>2637479

Why Chicago? Do you write exclusively in that format for research in your field, or something?

I mean Chicago seems like an arbitrary choice. Why not MLA, Harvard, APA, etc?

>> No.2637491

>>2637479
OP here, I haven't read it yet but I'll keep in mind your advice.

Another question: I've seen many people taking the manuals as universal truth that should be followed, is it the best way to approach writing? I really need to show (and not tell) everything in a story?

>> No.2637492

>>2637491

For creative writing, there are no rules.

>> No.2637498

>>2637491
>I've seen many people taking the manuals as universal truth that should be followed, is it the best way to approach writing?

When the 'universal truths' are about grammar, syntax, usage, etc, yes. If they step over their language prescriptions to making you 'do' things in your story, then disregard them.

>I really need to show (and not tell) everything in a story?

Of course not. That's just a platitude.

>> No.2637505

>>2637498

>When the 'universal truths' are about grammar, syntax, usage, etc, yes.

You realize that these things are very fluid, and vary even between style guides, right?

I mean, you can compare any two usage dictionaries and get different rules.

>> No.2637509

>>2637498
Still OP here.

And how about critics? Is correct for them to base their judgment on manuals' rules?

>> No.2637513

>>2637505
Very fluid? No. Fluid? Yes. Grammar has been pretty static. Usage does change fairly quickly in linguistic terms, but get a contemporary style guide and people will understand you. Just pick a style guide and don't fall into nonstandard usage.

>> No.2637515

>>2637509
Correct? I don't know, but mostly no one does that. They'd be critiquing the editors rather than the writers...

>> No.2637588

>>2637515
So the editors should know and apply them blindly?

>> No.2637777

This is the best place I could find to post about this, but does anyone have any equivalent style guides for modern written Russian?