The Elements of Style

You know the authors'names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book's unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing.

William Strunk, Jr. first used his own book, The Elements of Style, in 1919 for his English 8 course at Cornell University. The book was published in 1935 by Oliver Strunk.

E. B. White was a student in Professor Strunk's class at Cornell, and used "the little book" for himself. Commissioned by Macmillan to revise Strunk's book, White edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of The Elements of Style.

Foreword

ix

Introduction

xiii

I. ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE

1

(14)

Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding's

1

(1)

In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last

2

(1)

Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas

2

(3)

Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause

5

(1)

Do not join independent clauses with a comma

5

(2)

Do not break sentences in two

7

(1)

Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation

7

(2)

Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary

9

(1)

The number of the subject determines the number of the verb

9

(2)

Use the proper case of pronoun

11

(2)

A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject

13

(2)

II. ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION

15

(19)

Choose a suitable design and hold to it

15

(1)

Make the paragraph the unit of composition

15

(3)

Use the active voice

18

(1)

Put statements in positive form

19

(2)

Use definite, specific, concrete language

21

(2)

Omit needless words

23

(2)

Avoid a succession of loose sentences

25

(1)

Express coordinate ideas in similar form

26

(2)

Keep related words together

28

(3)

In summaries, keep to one tense

31

(1)

Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end

32

(2)

III. A FEW MATTERS OF FORM

34

(5)

IV. WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED

39

(27)

V. AN APPROACH TO STYLE (With a List of Reminders)

66

(21)

Place yourself in the background

70

(1)

Write in a way that comes naturally

70

(1)

Work from a suitable design

70

(1)

Write with nouns and verbs

71

(1)

Revise and rewrite

72

(1)

Do not overwrite

72

(1)

Do not overstate

73

(1)

Avoid the use of qualifiers

73

(1)

Do not affect a breezy manner

73

(1)

Use orthodox spelling

74

(1)

Do not explain too much

75

(1)

Do not construct awkward adverbs

75

(1)

Make sure the reader knows who is speaking

76

(1)

Avoid fancy words

76

(2)

Do not use dialect unless your ear is good

78

(1)

Be clear

79

(1)

Do not inject opinion

79

(1)

Use figures of speech sparingly

80

(1)

Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity

80

(1)

Avoid foreign languages

81

(1)

Prefer the standard to the offbeat

81

(6)

Afterword

87

(2)

Glossary

89

(8)

Index

97

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The Elements of Style

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials