The elements of style

The elements of style

William Strunk, 1869-1946

Book - 2005

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Subjects
English language > Rhetoric.
English language > Style.
Report writing.
Published
New York : Penguin Press 2005.
Language
English
Main Author
William Strunk, 1869-1946 (-)
Other Authors
E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White, 1899-1985 (-), Maira Kalman (illustrator)
Edition
[Illustrated ed.]
Item Description
Cover title: Elements of style illustrated.
Based on The elements of style, 4th ed. Boston : Allyn and Bacon, c2000.
Physical Description
xvii, 147 p. : col. ill. ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN
9781594200694
  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • I. 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 an independent clause
  • 5. Do not join independent clauses with a comma
  • 6. Do not break sentences in two
  • 7. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation
  • 8. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary
  • 9. The number of the subject determines the number the verb
  • 10. Use the proper case of pronoun
  • 11. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject
  • II. Elementary Principles of Composition
  • 12. Choose a suitable design and hold to it
  • 13. Make the paragraph the unit of composition
  • 14. Use the active voice
  • 15. Put statements in positive form
  • 16. Use definite, specific, concrete language
  • 17. Omit needless words
  • 18. Avoid a succession of loose sentences
  • 19. Express coordinate ideas in similar form
  • 20. Keep related words together
  • 21. In summaries, keep to one tense
  • 22. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end
  • III. A Few Matters of Form
  • IV. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
  • V. An Approach to Style (with a List of Reminders)
  • 1. Place yourself in the background
  • 2. Write in a way that comes naturally
  • 3. Work from a suitable design
  • 4. Write with nouns and verbs
  • 5. Revise and rewrite
  • 6. Do not overwrite
  • 7. Do not overstate
  • 8. Avoid the use of qualifiers
  • 9. Do not affect a breezy manner
  • 10. Use orthodox spelling
  • 11. Do not explain too much
  • 12. Do not construct awkward adverbs
  • 13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking
  • 14. Avoid fancy words
  • 15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good
  • 16. Be clear
  • 17. Do not inject opinion
  • 18. Use figures of speech sparingly
  • 19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity
  • 20. Avoid foreign languages
  • 21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat
  • VI. Spelling (from the first edition)
  • Glossary
  • Index
  • Backword
  • Copyright Page
Review by Library Journal Review

Blends the legendary text with stunning full-color illustrations to give a whole new meaning to learning (and loving!) grammar. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

There is probably not a book more unlikely to be illustrated than The Elements of Style. Originally written by Cornell English professor William Strunk, then updated by Strunk's former student E. B. White, this famously pithy guide to English grammar has instructed writers for over eighty years. Who could illustrate such a thing? And how? Maira Kalman could. And she has -- with stunning elegance, wit, and heart. Strunk and White's little book sets forth eleven rules of usage, eleven principles of composition, and a list of commonly misused words and expressions. Example sentences show proper and improper usage. Kalman's stroke of genius is to illustrate these random, and often deliciously strange, example sentences. A sentence demonstrating Rule 3 (""Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas"") is: ""Well, Susan, this is a fine mess you are in."" Kalman paints a big-eared, guilty-eyed basset hound. A dreamlike scene of a woman floating over her bed illustrates the Rule 17 (""Omit needless words"") example sentence: ""Her story is strange."" The play between precise rules and mysterious illustrations is pure Dada fun. The red cloth cover and clean, bold design complete this new work of art: The Elements of Style -- now by Strunk, White, and Kalman. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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