I never thought I’d say this, but a post on Language Log has actually made me laugh out loud. Who else would have the balls but the posters there, experts in linguistics and English grammar, to call the “classic” English style guide The Elements of Style:
Strunk and White’s vile little compendium of tripe about style (link)
I love it. Prof. Geoffrey K. Pullum rips in to it deliciously in that (vaguely) recent post* on the subject of the passive voice.
Now, those who know me will be able to predict that I couldn’t resist grabbing a copy of the just-mentioned pathetic booklet (it was hard to find one; [Adj. Prof. Bill] Poser says he threw his away) and checking on whether Strunk and White managed to get to the end of the page without accidentally using a passive themselves. And of course they didn’t, the bald-faced hypocritical morons. [emphasis mine]
Of course, this is hardly the first time such a post has been made. Language Log is officially a candidate for the title of Best. Blog. Ever.
*Alright, it’s months old - but I’ve got so many things in my RSS reader that I don’t get to it all, and I missed it the first time around. I hereby swear to read Language Log more religiously in future.