Writing with Style

The Economist Guide

Lane Greene

A brand-new edition of this classic guide on how to write with style—from The Economist's language columnist, Lane Greene.

"A lovely book. I vigorously recommend it as an alternative to Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style." —John McWhorter, The New York Times

This new edition of Writing with Style offers fresh, up-to-date insight into the principles and tools we can all deploy when it comes to expressing ourselves better when we write. The book's leaner, cleaner structure ranges widely—from grammar and punctuation to using numbers and how to edit. Economist language columnist Lane Greene also tackles some of the key linguistic issues we face today, like balancing plain speech with sensitivity, and knowing when to use jargon.

The result is a clear guide to making the most of the written word: conversational but authoritative; accessible yet comprehensive—with its ideas always presented with clarity and style.

Lane Greene is a language columnist and foreign correspondent at The Economist. Past assignments for the magazine have included culture, business, energy, the environment, and American politics. In 2017, he won the journalism award from the Linguistic Society of America. He is the author of You Are What You Speak (Delacorte) and is based in Madrid.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"A lovely book. I vigorously recommend it as an alternative to Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style."

John McWhorter, The New York Times 

"Lane Greene stands as a beacon of multilingualism. With each endeavor, Greene reinforces his standing as a linguistic tour de force. The book is a succinct yet comprehensive distillation of The Economist’s long-standing philosophy of language. Through a delightful mix of guidelines and anecdotes, Greene proves himself an able guide, steering readers toward linguistic clarity, honesty, and readability. Lighthearted, insightful, and sometimes downright funny, Greene presents a style guide that is as enjoyable to read as it is instructional. In the end, you don’t have to be a polyglot to appreciate the beauty of language, but under Greene’s guidance, you might just start sounding like one." Multilingual

"If you think that no writing guide is as good as William Strunk and E. B. White’s classic, The Elements of Style, then this book will persuade you otherwise." Air Mail

Praise for Lane Greene:

“We think alike on language, only Lane Greene knows more” Neil Gaiman, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Lane Greene has succeeded in penning a book that will answer absolutely any question anyone has about language, where it was, and where it’s going” John McWhorter, linguistics professor at Columbia University, and author of Woke Racism

“Lane Greene is a superb commentator on language and linguistics.” Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author of Enlightenment Now 

“This smart and clear-eyed tour of language attitudes around the world will show you how to love language the right way.” Arika Okrent, author of In the Land of Invented Languages 

“Greene argues perceptively and passionately.” Publishers Weekly

“An insightful, accessible examination of the way in which day-to-day speech is tangled in a complicated web of history, politics, race, economics and power.” Kirkus