The Elements of Style,9780205309023

The Elements of Style

by ;
Edition: 4th
ISBN13: 9780205309023
ISBN10: 020530902X
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 1999-07-23
Publisher(s): Pearson
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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

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