The Elements of Style

by Strunk, William, Jr.; White, E. B.

• ISBN13: 9780205313426
• ISBN10: 0205313426
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780024181909, 9780205191581, 9780205309023, 9780205632640
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-08-24
• Publisher: Pearson
• More Book Details

Summary

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.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

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