The elements of style

The elements of style

William Strunk, 1869-1946

Book - 2000

Saved in:
Place a Hold Save to List Email this

2nd Floor Show me where

808/Strunk
3 / 3 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 808/Strunk Checked In
2nd Floor 808/Strunk Checked In
2nd Floor 808/Strunk Checked In
Subjects
English language > Rhetoric.
English language > Style.
Report writing.
Writing.
Language.
Published
Boston : Allyn and Bacon c2000.
Language
English
Main Author
William Strunk, 1869-1946 (-)
Other Authors
E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White, 1899-1985 (-)
Edition
4th ed
Physical Description
xviii, 105 p. ; 19 cm
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN
9780205313426
9780205309023
  • 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 of 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
  • Afterword
  • Glossary
  • Index
Review by Library Journal Review

Anyone who writes and edits for a living (including librarians, naturally) is no stranger to William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White's classic writing manual, The Elements of Style. This "little book" barely makes the 100-page mark (even with a glossary and an index in the back), but it has influenced generations of writers since it was first released in 1959. The Elements of Style owes its status as much to the authors' sound advice as to the amusing anecdotes throughout. To commemorate its 50th anniversary this spring, Pearson is releasing a black leather-bound, gold-embossed reprint of the fourth edition from 2000 (pictured), which includes a new publisher's note outlining the book's history, along with quotes from celebrities like Dorothy Parker, Dan Rather, and Ben Affleck. An event to celebrate the occasion will be held on April 16th in New York City with a panel of writers and journalists. Cornell University's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (keepers of the papers of E.B. White) will host an exhibit in the Olin Library to coincide with the anniversary. The best-selling book about writing ever published (ten million copies and counting), The Elements of Style, in the now 30-year-old words of E.B. White, still stands "erect, resolute and assured," ready to conquer a new generation of writers synonymous with blogging, texting, facebooking, twittering, and other forms of how-fast-can-you-reach-me communication. And while we appreciate the opportunities those new forms of expression have afforded us, we can all benefit from not dressing up words by adding -ly "as though putting a hot on a horse"; overusing qualifiers like rather, very, and pretty that are like "leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words"; and writing nite for night or pleez for please in daily emails, unless we "plan to introduce a complete system of simplified spelling and are prepared to take the consequences." Libraries of all backgrounds owe it to every aspiring writer out there to invest in this sturdy new edition.-Mirela Roncevic, Reference Editor, LJ (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.

Similar Items