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The Elements of Style

created by Clipdude

(thing) by Clipdude (7.2 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Sat Nov 13 1999 at 10:12:15

A book originally written by William Strunk Jr. and later revised by E. B. White. Anyone who does any serious writing should read this book. It's small, and has good advice, such as "Omit needless words", "Use definite, specific, concrete language", and "Avoid fancy words".

(thing) by danlowlite (3.9 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Mon Nov 06 2000 at 5:16:11

Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language.--William Strunk Jr.

Jeez, first published in 1918 by Ithaca, N.Y. publisher W.P. Humphrey, it's full of fun sexist language and other fine things. I do know the person responsible for revising and putting out the Third Edition, but that's not out yet and under copyright. Of course, this text is no replacement for a true usage dictionary and grammar handbook, yet it'll do.

Noded here for your pleasure:

Elements of Style Introduction
Elementary Rules of Usage
Elementary Principles of Composition
A Few Matters of Form
Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
Commonly Misspelled Words (the original is Words Commonly Misspelled, but I changed this for better integration)


printable version
chaos

Elements of Style Introduction Elementary Rules of Usage Commonly misspelled words Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
A Few Matters of Form Omit needless words Elementary Principles of Composition "Shut up," he explained
Do vampires show up on digital cameras? Avoid fancy words Modern Library's 100 Best Books: Nonfiction Use definite, specific, concrete language
How to write an "A" paper with minimal effort Harvard Comma Grammatical and syntactic puzzles Strunk's Rules
The Transitive Vampire William Strunk Jr. Words are how we see you. Use them well. A guide to Mississippi porch etiquette
Strunk and White Where to go for help with punctuation Capitalize, please The difference between poetry and prose
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