Elements of Style
Published on 10. December 2012
44 pages
978-1-62558-500-4 (ISBN)
Description
The Elements of Style (1918), by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, is an American English writing style guide. It is the best-known, most influential prescriptive treatment of English grammar and usage, and often is required reading and usage in U.S. high school and university composition classes. This edition of The Elements of Style details eight elementary rules of usage, ten elementary principles of composition, "a few matters of form," and a list of commonly misused words and expressions.
More details
Person
William Strunk
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- I. Introductory
- II. Elementary Rules of Usage
- 1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
- 2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
- 3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
- 4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing a co-ordinate clause.
- 5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma.
- 6. Do not break sentences in two.
- 7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.
- III. Elementary Principles of Composition
- 8. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic.
- 9. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence, end it in conformity with the beginning.
- 10. Use the active voice.
- 11. Put statements in positive form.
- 12. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
- 13. Omit needless words.
- 14. Avoid a succession of loose sentences:
- 15. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form.
- 16. Keep related words together.
- 17. In summaries, keep to one tense.
- 18. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.
- IV. A Few Matters Of Form
- V. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
- VI. Spelling
- VII. Exercises on Chapters II and III
