William Strunk, author of the style manual titled “The Elements of Style” and Dianna Booher, author of the book titled “E-writing-21st Century Tools for Effective Communication.” Are two popular writers separated by nearly a century. In this essay, I compared and contrasted their ideas and opinions on what constitutes clarity. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines clarity as the quality or state of being clear. Both Strunk and Booher agree clarity is an important element in written language, as it allows for a clear sharing of information to the intended audience.
There are differences between Strunk and Booher as to why clear writing is important. William Strunk for example was a college professor at Cornell University at the turn of the 20th century. Having been described as “a positive man” by the well known author, E.B. White, he was likened to a sergeant snapping commands to his students. As a professor at the turn of the century, he taught young men the importance of grammar and style with an intensity that continues to influence students to this day.
Dianna Booher “is author of thirty-seven books, many of which deal with various aspects of communication. She is founder and CEO of her own training firm, and is a respected expert in her field.” Booher is a proficient writer and is successful in the business world, and geared her book towards individuals in the fast-paced and ever changing business world. Dianna is able to share communication strategies with those seeking to improve written communication, in the business world.
William Strunk viewed writing as art, and related clarity in written documents, with moral excellence. Strunk states, “If those who have studied the art of writing are in accord on any one pint, it is this: the surest way to arouse and hold the reader’s attention is by being specific, definite, and concrete.” (Strunk 21) Strunk’s reference to writing as an art implies that the writer is an artist that should gain the reader’s attention by writing in a clear and lucid style. He leaves little room for abstraction and believes that the message being conveyed should be clear and lucid so that the document can be accessible upon reading. Strunk again compares writing to art in the following statement, “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines.” (Strunk 23) Aesthetics are an important part of writing just as an eye-pleasing portrait is important for an artist to create.
Strunk’s career was based in helping his students become effective, confident, and proficient writers. Most assuredly, editing countless documents over the span of many years influenced his emphasis on writing in a straightforward fashion. Lack of computers, word processors, and access to typewriters at the beginning of the 20th century, meant that correcting students papers could be extremely arduous and tedious. Strunk not only had to contend with deciphering various styles oh hand writing, but had to decipher the entire document in order to find the main pints which were often times vague and muddy and not easily accessible.
Strunk believed clarity was of merit and of particular moral excellence when applied. He stated that, “since writing is communication, clarity can only be a virtue” (Strunk 79) and with this sentence in mind, writing with clarity is a standard that should be upheld because it is of good character to do so. Strunk is extremely concerned with the integrity of the author and the information that is put forth to the reader. He elaborates on the necessity of clarity when proclaiming, “Muddiness is not merely a disturber of prose, it is also a destroyer of life, of hope: death on the highway caused by a badly worded road sign, heartbreak among lovers caused by a misplaced phrase in a well intentioned letter, anguish of a traveler expecting to be met at a railroad station and not being met because of a slipshod telegram.” (Strunk 79) Students upon hearing this type of command must have taken extra steps to ensure that “Sergeant Strunk” (Strunk xiv) received a well-written paper thank in part to the forcefulness of his commands.
Professor Strunk realized lack of clarity and direction can take a toll on the writer as well. He noted, “When you become hopelessly mired in a sentence, it best to start fresh; do not try to fight your way through against the terrible odds of syntax.” (Strunk 79) A great deal of time and energy can be used when trying to force a sentence or paragraph to make sense, and can frustrate the writer even further when a sentence continues to remain incorrect. This is very practical advice that essentially allows the writer to surrender when there is not better resolution in correcting the sentence.
Dianna Booher views writing as a tool used in business that express ideas and information between employees and clients. Writeen communication in the form of e-mails, letters, charts, and memos, are but a few of the communication tools used in business. “A good business writer’s chief purpose is to express ideas rather than impress with a n ornate writing style.” (Booher 60) There is a practical use for writing with clarity, as “poor writing not only affects company image but also limits personal promotions within an organization.” (Booher 58) Clients will notice errors and poor writing and they will overlook the problems and take their business elsewhere. Clarity is an important issue because of the negative impact it can have on business relationships. “When workers are careless in their writing, how can clients know for sure that they’re any more careful with data or money?”
Booher claims poor academic training is sometimes at fault for poor writing habits in the business world. “Some professors lack the knowledge or fail to understand the necessity of helping students’ bridge the gap from academic writing to business writing.” (Booher 60) Examples of mistakes some professors make are encouraging poor writing by advising students to avoid forms of the verb “to be”, which helps to create awkward sentences in order to avoid placing “to be” anywhere in a sentence. Another example given by Booher is that academia encourages students to build a large vocabulary at the expense of maintaining clarity and straightforwardness in a document. It is practical to use words that would be understood by all readers, so that you do not loose reader interest in a document of importance.
Clarity on a subject becomes unorganized and hard to follow when writing in ascending order. Ascending order begins with an introduction, which leads to a discussion and research on the issue, and ends with conclusions and recommendation of the research. Writing in this order fails to consider the audience’s point of view. Booher states, “the management reader is not interested in your activites, but in your conclusions and recommendations.” (Booher 82) In business writing, it is best to start a document with the findings and results first and descend with the details and discussions because in today’s business climate, there may not be enough time to read an entire report consisting of several pages of details.
Elements of electronic writing are apparent in the beginning chapters of Dianna Booher’s book. Communication via e-mail is a vital part of business today and clarity is often times compromised when writing e-mails. “Stream of consciousness rambling,” (Booher 26) is a term used to describe a wandering train of though when writing electronically, and again, when sentences lack clarity, the reader will lose interest and not gain the important information from the document.
There are noticeable differences between Strunk and Booher’s ideas, and ideals, as to why clarity is important. Strunk believes clarity in a written document is a virtuous act and applauds the writer that attempts to write clearly as if it were a moral act of goodness. Most likely, Sturnk applauded the students that were able to show the determination to create a well thought out document clear in thought and style, which in turn made his job that much easier. Sturnk realized the benefits of sharing his simple rules of grammar to a larger audience in order to simplify the reading and writing process for many students, and teachers to come.
Booher on the other hand believes clarity is important because it allows for increased productivity and understanding between clients and employees, which will in turn help a company run in a smooth manner. Image is everything in business, and Booher compares clarity in written communication, with positive image. Clarity is not an issue of personal integrity as Sturnk believes, but ultimately another way to get what you want in the business world, and most importantly, a way in saving time which is crucial in the business world today.
Works Cited:
Booher, Dianna. E-Writing: 21st-Century Tools for Effective Communication. New York: Pocket Books, 2001.
Strunk Jr., William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Longman, 2000.
