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Elements of Style 50TH Anniversary Edition

by William Strunk

Elements of Style 50TH Anniversary Edition Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

 

Book News Annotation:

Although this fifth edition of a classic writer's guide has been modestly updated, with more modern content in the examples (both word processors and air conditions make their first appearance), the book's droll humor has been retained. Offering the same content as the fourth edition (revised in 1999), this casebound 50th anniversary edition includes a foreword by White's stepson, plus a brief overview of the book's history by White himself, written for the introduction to the 1979 edition. The book has been, is, and will undoubtedly continue to be used by writers in high school and up. Previous editions have been cited in Public Library Catalog and Guide to Reference Books. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About the Author

William Strunk, Jr. was a Professor of English at Cornell University and first published a private editon of his "little book"  in 1919 for his own writing students. 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 small volume himself, during which time he became respectful and appreciative of its pithy and indispensable writing advice.  Commissioned by Macmillan to revise the book, White edited and created new material for the 1959 and 1972 editions of The Elements of Style.

Table of Contents

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 Question.

 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 the 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 Style.

 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.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Danozano, March 26, 2009 (view all comments by Danozano)
I look forward to receiving my fresh copy of this book. I've given all my copies away to colleagues and cow orkers and this looks like a great desktop edition.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780205632640
Author:
Strunk, William
Publisher:
Longman Publishing Group
Revised:
White, E. B.
Author:
White, E. B.
Author:
Strunk, William, Jr.
Subject:
Writing Skills
Subject:
Business Communication - General
Subject:
Composition & Creative Writing - General
Subject:
Composition & Creative Writing
Subject:
English language
Subject:
Report writing
Subject:
English language -- Style.
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Anniversary
Publication Date:
October 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
College/higher education:
Language:
English
Pages:
105
Dimensions:
8.34x5.32x.57 in. .62 lbs.

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