The Elements of Style (1920)

by William Strunk, Jr.

THE

ELEMENTS OF STYLE

By WILLIAM STRUNK, Jr.

 

THE

ELEMENTS OF STYLE

 

BY

WILLIAM STRUNK, Jr.

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH
IN
CORNELL UNIVERSITY

 

 

NEW YORK

HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY

 

COPYRIGHT, 1918, 1919, BY
WILLIAM STRUNK, JR.

COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY
HARCOURT, BRACE AND HOWE, INC.

 

THE MAPLE PRESS YORK PA

CONTENTS

			Page
I.	Introductory		5
II.	Elementary Rules of Usage		7
		1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.	7
		2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last	7
		3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas	8
		4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing a co-ordinate clause	10
		5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma	11
		6. Do not break sentences in two	12
		7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject	13
III.	Elementary Principles of Composition		15
		8. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic	15
		9. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning	17
		10. Use the active voice	19
		11. Put statements in positive form	21
		12. Use definite, specific, concrete language	22
		13. Omit needless words	24
		14. Avoid a succession of loose sentences	25
		15. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form	26
		16. Keep related words together	28
		17. In summaries, keep to one tense	29
		18. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end	31
IV.	A Few Matters of Form		33
V.	Words and Expressions Commonly Misused		36
VI.	Spelling		48
VII.	Exercises on Chapters II and III		50