Mostly, I agree, but I too would be wary of style guides. In some areas they assert standards that even the best writers do not adhere to; in others they give little guidance.
On the one hand, trying too hard to avoid such solecisms as split infinitives and sentence-ending propositions can sound unnatural. On the other, they seldom explain what is odd about sentences such as 'An accident was yesterday,' or 'I see red any longer.'
The best way to learn to write grammatically flawless English is by reading it copiously. Indeed, that is one of the most effective, and least painful, ways of learning most literary techniques.
On the one hand, trying too hard to avoid such solecisms as split infinitives and sentence-ending propositions can sound unnatural. On the other, they seldom explain what is odd about sentences such as 'An accident was yesterday,' or 'I see red any longer.'
The best way to learn to write grammatically flawless English is by reading it copiously. Indeed, that is one of the most effective, and least painful, ways of learning most literary techniques.