The famous elements of style marks a century of lessons for writers. Many examples i loved the fact that many examples are provided, which is very very helpful. A fourth edition was published in 2000 with a foreword by whites stepson, roger angell. George mclane wood, extracts from the stylebook of the. Strunk and whites the elements of style receives frequent mention in articles about writing originating as a classroom study aid prepared by cornell english professor william strunk in 1918, this widelyused desk reference of english usage, form, and style continues to influence writers after a hundred years.
Stephen king makes a big deal about it in his book on writing, and for good reason. First written by professor will strunk as a summation of english usage, composition, and form with words and expressions commonly misused, and later polished, expanded and transformed into a classic reference book thirtyeight years later by strunks student, e. The most important rule of style in strunk and white element of style is omit needless words. The elements of style by strunk and white introduction to philosophy is that a writer should be brief and concise with their words. The elements of style is an american english writing style guide in numerous editions. Review the elements of style is the most influential and popular book on how to write well. The book was one necessary step for me to become a better writer. Is strunk and whites the elements of style still the. Still, it offers some timeless tips for todays scribes. The elements of style, fourth edition kindle edition. The elements of style by strunk and white introduction. This means that a sentence should not contain anything extra. Here are examples of the great reminders i got from the book.
It is liberally illustrated with examples, with correct and incorrect usage in parallel, and has a whole section on common mistakes. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. This publisher specialises in public domain classics. The original elements of style was a textbook written by william strunk jr. King, having sold more than 350 million copies of his 50something novels, could not speak more highly of strunk and whites little book. In his classic reference book the elements of style 1920, william strunk jr. After whites essay appeared in 1957, a friend made him a gift of strunks book, and, white. Unfortunately im a little overwhelmed by the minor variations. Whites prose is celebrated for its ease and clarity just think of charlottes web.
Its a consistent format for written workeverything from how to use a. White was a student in professor strunks class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. Strunk composed this book in 1918 and selfpublished before seeking traditional publication. Each chapter is concise and and quickly gets to its main point.
White was a student in professor strunk s class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. Amazon lists 12 different paperback formats, plus a half dozen or more other editions. Strunk and whites elements of style 1957 words 123. After strunks death, macmillan publishing commissioned white to revise and expand strunks manual for a wider audience. The elements of style is the definitive text and classic manual on the principles of english language read by millions of readers. In a sense, the book was his own personal style guide. The elements of style teaches you that simple is always better. The elements of style by strunk and white 32 words. As another national grammar day arrives, we look again at the centuryold elements of style, which many writers find fusty and sexist. Pullum is outraged that the elements of style suggests changing there were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground to dead leaves covered the ground. The elements of style edition 4 by william strunk, e. Strunk and whites the elements of style daily writing tips. In its original, privately printed guise, the elements of style was a 43page summary of, in whites words, the case for cleanliness, accuracy and brevity in the use of english. How does a professional writer discuss the elements of style.
I think that i have found a new favorite grammar book, and more. The most important rule of style in strunk and whites elements of style is number, omit needless words. Clear and concise strunk and write put their writing where their mouth is. Buy the elements of style book online at low prices in. He offers clear, instructive advice on proper sentence composition. Strunk and whites book, the elements of style, is an amazing glance into the world of english. If you ever head back to college to finish that masters degree, william strunk jr.
The elements of style is indeed a dusty textbook 1918, but still widely in use today. He followed them with examples of commonly misused words and expressions. The sentence none of us are perfect is given as an example of incorrect. In the example above, the relation is that of cause and result. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. White greatly enlarged and revised the book for publication by.
On writing by stephen king the elements of style by william strunk jr. Strunk and whites venerable writing guide is 50 in 1959, e. It aims at providing a set of rules and tips on how to write properly, if not elegantly. Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunk s book, white edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of the elements of style. If you struggle with sentence structure, or youre not certain about the rules of english grammar, this is a great way to shore up those weaknesses. Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunks book, white edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of the elements of style. Strunk and whites the elements of style receives frequent mention in articles about writing. The 18 main topics are organized under the headings, elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, a few matters of form, words and expressions commonly misused, and words often misspelled. By the way, the work does have a picture book edition, if that helps. The result was the lithe, 100page book the elements of style. Pullum has argued, for example, that the authors misunderstood what. You can find this edition in its entirety on the internet. The result, this quiet book, has been in print for forty years, and has offered.
Whites the elements of style is their willingness to address small questions and greater points alike. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Choose one of strunk and whites rules or principles with which you disagree. A summary of the elements of style by strunk and white. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and. This book is intended for use in english courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. He subsequently published an update to his book in 1935, collaborating with edward tenney, under the title the elements and practice of composition. Strunk and whites elements of style a typical science fiction fan can be more familiar about star trek and its characters than some of their own family members. This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.
White published a revised copy of his former college professors little book on writing. It gives advice on grammar, word choice, appropriate use of different syntactical constructions and similar topics. The tiny book made a big splash with writers, selling over ten million copies and crowning strunk and white as the dynamic duo of the writing world. White, the elements of style does indeed contain rich deposits of gold.
The public domain edition was published in 1918, and is half the length of recent editions. William strunk taught english at cornell and wrote the first version of the book which was only 43 pagesfor his english students at cornell. This is professor strunks advice regarding this rule. Strunk and whites elements of style essay 1972 words. One notable exception to the bullshit rule is the elements of style. Strunk and whites the elements of style is less than 100 pages long in most editions and was first published in 1959, but. I know this is heresy to a lot of people, but its true.
First, strunk and white werent people who devoted their lives to studying grammar, and they didnt work together to create the elements of style. Strunk and whites the elements of style deals only with style in the narrow sense. Whites the elements of style could provide a refresher in termpaper. The book is the element of style by william strunk, jr. In both these examples, the first period should be replaced by a comma, and the. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. The books style advice, largely vapid and obvious do not overwrite. For those that are not all that familiar with this sci fi show, star trek remains as a very well known icon in television history. The elements of style by william strunk free ebook. There are no fancy introductions or lengthy explanations just hardandfast tips, rules, and recommendations. The book is so small, you can carry it in your purse, your pocket, or keep it conveniently tucked in your laptop bag. It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain english style. While this was only the first third of the book or so, it was nonetheless an amazing journey. The elements of style oliver strunk contents foreword ix introduction xiii i.
Whites handbook the elements of style, and joseph williamss book style toward clarity and grace, are both full of good tips on how to improve writing style. It contains eight rules of usage, ten rules of composition, some notes on miscellaneous matters of form in writing such as headings, numerals, and quotations, and lists of. Omit needless words, and use a concise, comprehensive statement to anchor descriptive paragraphs, among others. Style, if youre wondering, is more than just grammar. But, as white remembered strunk, he felt it was worse to be irresolute than to be wrong.
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