In this video, we examine ten principles of good writing, including make the. It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention in chapters ii and iii on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of. Thus write, charless friend burnss poems the witchs malice this is the usage of the united states government printing office and of the oxford university press. 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. Strunk and white the elements of style quiz proprofs quiz. Strunk and whites the elements of style daily writing tips. William strunk was an american professor of english language at cornell university. Pdf the elements of style fourth edition by william strunk jr. The elements of style by strunk, william, 18691946. The elements of style by william strunk free ebook. A concise, free and complete summary of the elements of style william strunk s short, prescriptive classic, filled with good advice on great writing. White i first read elements of style during the summer before i went off to exeter, and i still direct my students at harvard to their definition about the difference between that and which. The first writer i watched at work was my stepfather, e.
The book covers only a small portion of the field of english style, but the experience of its. Maira kalman, who provided the illustrations for the elements of style illustrated 2005, see below, asked nico muhly to compose a cantata based on the book. White this the elements of style, fourth edition book is not really ordinary book, you have it then the world is in your hands. Intended for use in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature, it gives in brief space the principal requirements of. This guide presents and explains most of the elementary rules of usage from the elements of style by strunk and white.
It was will strunk s parvum opus, his attempt to cut the vast tangle of english rhetoric down to size and write its rules and principles on the head of a pin. Published april 16, 1959, strunk and white s the elements of style went on to win critical acclaim and total sales of. The elements of style illustrated by william strunk, e. Fifty years of acclaim for the elements of style, by william strunk jr. It is the bestknown, most influential prescriptive treatment of english grammar and usage, and often is required reading and usage in u.
The elements of style wikisource, the free online library. The original elements of style was a book composed by william strunk jr. White the classic writing style guide this book aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain english style. In 2011, time magazine listed the writing style guide as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in english since 1923. It also provides additional rules regarding the proper use of quotation marks, parentheses, and other matters. The elements of style edition 4 by william strunk, e. The books mantra, make every word tell, is still on point. The elements of style oliver strunk contents foreword ix introduction xiii i. This public document was automatically mirrored from pdfy. The elements of style is the definitive text and classic manual on the principles of english language read by millions of readers.
The 18 main topics are organized under the headings, elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, a few matters of. See also the what is the directory structure for the texts. Well, i know many of you love that book, but pullum backs up every one of his criticisms, for example pointing out that strunk and whites examples in the use active voice section are strangely contrived, and the examples of passive voice sentences arent actually passive voice sentences. The elements of style fourth edition by william strunk jr. Strunk and white the elements of style test your knowledge on the best speech styles. 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. Cornell university professor of english william strunk, jr. 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 strunk s student, e. The elements of style, when i reexamined it in 1957, seemed to me to contain rich deposits of gold. The elements of style strunk and white november 21, 2015 by granolagradschoolandgoffman in teaching, uncategorized leave a comment. The elements of style has lots of example that i wont always. Pdf the elements of style fourth edition by william. Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunk s book, white edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of the elements of style.
Download the ebook the elements of style william strunk jr. White was a student in professor strunk s class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. Their central claim for style seems to cohere with this point as well. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after. However, if readers seems to deserve more elaborated description about the passive, because these authors are not arguing for all writings but from general perspective. If the second member is introduced by an adverb, a semicolon, not a comma, is required see rule 5. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an. This is also the usage of the government printing office and of the oxford university press. The elements of style illustrated by william strunk, jr. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. The land of the free and the elements of style linguistics and. Strunk and white s the elements of style receives frequent mention in articles about writing.
The only style manual to ever appear on a bestseller list now refreshed by one of our most beloved illustratorsevery english writer knows strunk and white s the elements of style. Strunk and white the elements of style test your kno. The only style manual to ever appear on a bestseller list now refreshed by one of our most beloved illustrators every english writer knows strunk and white s the elements of style. White s endorsement of the elements of style quickly led his publisher, macmillan, to ask white to update and expand strunk s terse primer on grammar and usage. Faq for information about file content and naming conventions. Contents preface iii i introductory 1 ii elementary rules of usage 3 1. White have a vicelike grip on educated americans views about grammar and usage. Helpful hints beyond the basics do not join independent clauses with a comma. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg.
With revisions, an introduction, and a chapter on writing by e. At a mere 60 pages, the 1918 strunk edition is the most concise english language style guide. In both written and oral english grammar, we use different styles to spice up and make the language better. The elements of style updated 2011 edition pdf free download. My name is strunk and they call me white here to teach you how to put the pen down right i. Twopart sentences of which the second member is introduced by as in the sense of because, for, or, nor, and while in the sense of and at the same time likewise require a comma before the conjunction. He is best known for this book the elements of style, which was revised and enlarged by a former student of his, e. White, the elements of style does indeed contain rich deposits of gold.
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