The Elements of F*cking Style: A Helpful Parody [Paperback]

Chris Baker (Author), Jacob Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 5, 2011

The truth about English is that it can get pretty boring. Dangling modifiers, gerunds, punctuation marks--it’s enough to make you want to drop out of high school. Swearing and sex on the other hand, well, these time-honored pastimes warm the cockles of our hearts. Now, The Elements of F*cking Style drags English grammar out of the ivory tower and into the gutter, injecting a dull subject with a much-needed dose of color.

This book addresses everything from common questions (“What the hell is a pronoun?”) to philosophical conundrums (“Does not using paragraphs or periods make my thesis read like it was written by a mental patient?”). Other valuable sections include:

•All I’ve got in this world are my sentences and my balls, and I don’t break ’em for nobody

 •A colon is more than an organ that gets cancer

•Words your bound to f*ck up

 One glance at your friend’s blog should tell you everything you need to know about the sorry state of the English language. This book gives you the tools you need to stop looking like an idiot on message boards and in interoffice memos. Grammar has never before been so much f*cking fun.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“To be sure, this is not a book for readers who might have an aversion to foul language or references to drugs and sex. Its 96 pages are replete with hilarious references, but don’t let that discourage you—Chris Baker and Jacob Hansen have ensured that naughty words serve the noble purpose of promoting good grammar.”

—The Weekly Standard

About the Author

Grammar nerds Chris Baker and Jacob Hansen are the cofounders of The F*cking Word of the Day.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031258377X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312583774
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Identical in structure; an excellent and much needed supplement to the original September 15, 2011

By Matchstick

Format:Paperback

Being a writing enthusiast, I purchased the original Elements of Style nearly 5 years ago. I never made it past the first 5 pages. It literally bored me to sleep every time I tried reading it. Needless to say, I gave up on optimizing my sentence structure and grammar and Strunk & White's work has sat on my bookshelf collecting dust for the last 5 years.

Then I saw this book at the local bookstore, read the first 5 pages, bought it, and finished it that day. Absolutely hilarious; both intensely clever and witty while still providing the much needed knowledge in an easy to digest format. Then I figured since I had both versions, why not have some fun and do a little comparing to see how much Baker and Hansen snipped out from the original? After all, this version was much thinner. So I went through and compared the topics of each book side by side. Lo and behold, Baker & Hansen stayed true to Strunk & White's version on EVERY POINT. They simply reworded each topic's explanation to a wittier version which usually included drugs, sex and lots of cursing. The things they omitted were issues that I realized weren't as applicable to modern day language anymore. Yet the fundamental rules they discussed remained unchanged.

Now here's where things get really interesting:

In the side by side comparison of both books, I found myself reading through and highlighting Strunk & White's original. In the course of an hour, I had literally read & highlighted Strunk & White's book cover to cover. A book that had been sitting on my shelf for 5 years because I couldn't bring myself to get through 5 pages was suddenly devoured and fully understood in an hour.

So here's my two cents: The humor of this book is awesome. However, the true value of this book lies in its ability to teach Strunk & White's book effortlessly. Anyone who wants to become a better writer but just can't seem to get into Strunk & White's book needs to go out and buy this book immediately. HIGHLY recommended.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Holy awesome! July 6, 2011

By Brian T. Murphy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'd bet the house that this is the funniest and easiest book on grammar in print. It is VERY raunchy; most of the examples refer to either graphic sex or drug use. But, it is an awesome read for someone that writes for a living and wants to spruce up their style and grammar while also experiencing some degree of enjoyment.

Think "Jackass" meets grammar and you'll get the picture. I simply can't find anything wrong with it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth $10 February 4, 2012

By 5x5

Format:Paperback

I studied journalism in college so I'm a bit of a grammar nerd (yes, I'm one of those people who will only text in complete sentences.) 4 years post college, I bought this book on a whim and was pleasantly surprised with how great it is.

Not only does it cover the very basics such as active vs passive voice, agreement between nouns and verbs, and paragraph construction, but it also has more advanced topics like when to use a dash vs a semicolon.

It's also pretty damn hilarious.

Highly recommended for any high school and college student who needs a little help in the grammar department or any one who just wants an amusing book to improve their writing.