ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

The Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style is like a book of rules for how to write things really well. It tells you how to organize your ideas and make sure your writing is clear and easy to understand.

It's kind of like how your teacher tells you to put your name in the top corner of your paper and write the date at the top of the page. The Chicago Manual of Style tells grown-ups how to do things like that too, but for much more complicated writing projects.

It also helps you know when you should use certain words and when you shouldn't. It might tell you that instead of saying "use," you should say "utilize," because "utilize" sounds fancier and more professional. But it also helps you know when it's better to just use the simpler word, like saying "use" instead of "utilize" if you think it'll be easier for people to understand.

So basically, the Chicago Manual of Style is a big book that tells grown-ups how to write things really well so that other people can understand them easily.