The olive oil in the water suggestion doesn't work very well because the oil floats on top of the water while the pasta is cooking. There are four things you need to do to keep your pasta from sticking: (1) cook it in enough water (e.g., for a pound of dried pasta, a gallon of water minimum); (2) make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding the pasta and keep the heat on high to get the water temperature back to boiling as quickly as possible; (3) stir the pasta as soon as you put it in the water to separate the strands and once or twice while its cooking; and (4) "dress" the pasta as soon as its drained. There are three ways to dress pasta. The simplest method is to stir in some butter or olive oil. This does prevent it from sticking but also inhibits the sauce from sticking to the pasta. However, if you're making something like carbonara or serving the pasta with a very ragù, it works fine. The second method is to add the sauce to the pasta before serving. You can add all the sauce or just stir in a little and serve the rest of the sauce on the side. The third method is to put the pasta in some sauce over heat before it is finished cooking, along with some pasta water, and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. This is the way it's usually done in professional kitchens.

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