The-Elements-of-Style【original】

TheElementsofStylebyWilliamStrunk,Jr.ProfessorofEnglishCornellUniversityPrivatelyPrintedIthaca,NewYork1918Copyright1918ByWilliamStrunk,Jr.PressofW.P.Humphrey,Geneva,N.Y.ContentsI.IntroductoryII.ElementaryRulesofUsage1.Formthepossessivesingularofnounswith's2.Inaseriesofthreeormoretermswithasingleconjunction,useacommaaftereachtermexceptthelast3.Encloseparentheticexpressionsbetweencommas4.Placeacommabeforeandorbutintroducinganindependentclause5.Donotjoinindependentclausesbyacomma6.Donotbreaksentencesintwo7.Aparticipialphraseatthebeginningofasentencemustrefertothegrammaticalsubject8.Dividewordsatline-ends,inaccordancewiththeirformationandpronunciationIII.ElementaryPrinciplesofComposition9.Maketheparagraphtheunitofcomposition:oneparagraphtoeachtopic10.Asarule,begineachparagraphwithatopicsentence;enditinconformitywiththebeginning11.Usetheactivevoice12.Putstatementsinpositiveform13.Omitneedlesswords14.Avoidasuccessionofloosesentences15.Expressco-ordinateideasinsimilarform16.Keeprelatedwordstogether17.Insummaries,keeptoonetense18.PlacetheemphaticwordsofasentenceattheendIV.AFewMattersofFormV.WordsandExpressionsCommonlyMisuedVI.WordsCommonlyMisspelledTheElementsofStyleI.IntroductoryThisbookisintendedforuseinEnglishcoursesinwhichthepracticeofcompositioniscombinedwiththestudyofliterature.ItaimstogiveinbriefspacetheprincipalrequirementsofplainEnglishstyle.Itaimstolightenthetaskofinstructorandstudentbyconcentratingattention(inChaptersIIandIII)onafewessentials,therulesofusageandprinciplesofcompositionmostcommonlyviolated.Thenumbersofthesectionsmaybeusedasreferencesincorrectingmanuscript.ThebookcoversonlyasmallportionofthefieldofEnglishstyle,buttheexperienceofitswriterhasbeenthatoncepasttheessentials,studentsprofitmostbyindividualinstructionbasedontheproblemsoftheirownwork,andthateachinstructorhashisownbodyoftheory,whichhepreferstothatofferedbyanytextbook.Thewriter'scolleaguesintheDepartmentofEnglishinCornellUniversityhavegreatlyhelpedhiminthepreparationofhismanuscript.Mr.GeorgeMcLaneWoodhaskindlyconsentedtotheinclusionunderRule11ofsomematerialfromhisSuggestionstoAuthors.Thefollowingbooksarerecommendedforreferenceorfurtherstudy:inconnectionwithChaptersIIandIV,F.HowardCollins,AuthorandPrinter(HenryFrowde);ChicagoUniversityPress,ManualofStyle;T.L.DeVinneCorrectComposition(TheCenturyCompany);HoraceHart,RulesforCompositorsandPrinters(OxfordUniversityPress);GeorgeMcLaneWood,ExtractsfromtheStyle-BookoftheGovernmentPrintingOffice(UnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey);inconnectionwithChaptersIIIandV,SirArthurQuiller-Couch,TheArtofWriting(Putnams),especiallythechapter,InterludeonJargon;GeorgeMcLaneWood,SuggestionstoAuthors(UnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey);JohnLeslieHall,EnglishUsage(Scott,ForesmanandCo.);JamesP.Kelly,WorkmanshipinWords(Little,BrownandCo.).Itisanoldobservationthatthebestwriterssometimesdisregardtherulesofrhetoric.Whentheydoso,however,thereaderwillusuallyfindinthesentencesomecompensatingmerit,attainedatthecostoftheviolation.Unlessheiscertainofdoingaswell,hewillprobablydobesttofollowtherules.Afterhehaslearned,bytheirguidance,towriteplainEnglishadequateforeverydayuses,lethimlook,forthesecretsofstyle,tothestudyofthemastersofliterature.II.ElementaryRulesofUsage1.Formthepossessivesingularofnounswith's.Followthisrulewhateverthefinalconsonant.Thuswrite,Charles'sfriendBurns'spoemsthewitch'smaliceThisistheusageoftheUnitedStatesGovernmentPrintingOfficeandoftheOxfordUniversityPress.Exceptionsarethepossessivesofancientpropernamesin-esand-is,thepossessiveJesus',andsuchformsasforconscience'sake,forrighteousness'sake.ButsuchformsasAchilles'heel,Moses'laws,Isis'templearecommonlyreplacedbytheheelofAchillesthelawsofMosesthetempleofIsisThepronominalpossessiveshers,its,theirs,yours,andoneselfhavenoapostrophe.2.Inaseriesofthreeormoretermswithasingleconjunction,useacommaaftereachtermexceptthelast.Thuswrite,red,white,andbluehonest,energetic,butheadstrongHeopenedtheletter,readit,andmadeanoteofitscontents.ThisisalsotheusageoftheGovernmentPrintingOfficeandoftheOxfordUniversityPress.Inthenamesofbusinessfirmsthelastcommaisomitted,asBrown,ShipleyandCompanyTheabbreviationetc.,evenifonlyasingletermcomesbeforeit,isalwaysprecededbyacomma.3.Encloseparentheticexpressionsbetweencommas.Thebestwaytoseeacountry,unlessyouarepressedfortime,istotravelonfoot.Thisruleisdifficulttoapply;itisfrequentlyhardtodecidewhetherasingleword,suchashowever,orabriefphrase,isorisnotparenthetic.Iftheinterruptiontotheflowofthesentenceisbutslight,thewritermaysafelyomitthecommas.Butwhethertheinterruptionbeslightorconsiderable,hemustneveromitonecommaandleavetheother.SuchpunctuationasMarjorie'shusband,ColonelNelsonpaidusavisityesterday,orMybrotheryouwillbepleasedtohear,isnowinperfecthealth,isindefensible.Non-restrictiverelativeclausesare,inaccordancewiththisrule,setoffbycommas.Theaudience,whichhadatfirstbeenindifferent,becamemoreandmoreinterested.Similarclausesintroducedbywhereandwhenaresimilarlypunctuated.In1769,whenNapoleonwasborn,CorsicahadbutrecentlybeenacquiredbyFrance.NetherStowey,wher