The elements of style by strunk and white

Aug 18, 2011 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. White was a student in professor strunk s class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. White, and some 18 years after i first encountered his classic style guide originally written by william strunk jr. July 1, 1869 september 26, 1946 was an american professor of english at cornell university and author of the elements of style 1918. Amazon lists 12 different paperback formats, plus a half dozen or more other editions. 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.

Strunk and whites the elements of style receives frequent mention in articles about writing 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. In this video, we examine ten principles of good writing, including make the paragraph the unit of composition, and place the. This is the elements of style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. I was reading the comments on this answer where several users claimed that strunk and whites the elements of style was misinformed, hypocritical, and wrong. Jul 31, 2001 this is the elements of style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. The elements of style, fourth edition 7447521286972. The discussion of pronoun use is revised to reflect the contemporary concern with sexist language. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. White the elements of style 4th edition 9780205309023 william strunk and e. The elements of style 9780024182203 by william strunk, jr e. It is one of the most influential and bestknown prescriptive treatments of english grammar and usage in the united states. This 2005 revision takes nothing away from the book, but reconsiders the original from a.

The first writer i watched at work was my stepfather, e. You can find this edition in its entirety on the internet. Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunks book, white edited the. The most important rule of style in strunk and white s elements of style is number, omit needless words.

On writing by stephen king the elements of style by william strunk jr. Feb 02, 2018 in both written and oral english grammar, we use different styles to spice up and make the language better. Choose from 171 different sets of strunk white flashcards on quizlet. Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunk s book, white edited the.

The proper correction is likely to be not the replacement of one word or set of words by another but the replacement of vague generality by definite. Words and expressions commonly misused strunk and white. The book covers only a small portion of the field of english style, but the experience of its. Nearly one hundred years old, this book was originally written by william strunk, who was e. Strunk and whites the elements of style daily writing tips. 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. In the elements of style 1918, william strunk concentrated on specific questions of usageand the cultivation of good writingwith the recommendation make every word tell. Strunk and white asserted, the active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive. This book maintains a unique whit, tone and charm by keeping a minimalist style. The elements of style by william strunk free ebook. This is professor strunk s advice regarding this rule.

The elements of style wikisource, the free online library. Unfortunately im a little overwhelmed by the minor variations. Apr 17, 2009 first, strunk and white werent people who devoted their lives to studying grammar, and they didnt work together to create the elements of style. This books unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of english style to millions of readers. My name is strunk and they call me white here to teach you how to put the pen down right i. William strunk taught english at cornell and wrote the first version of the bookwhich was only 43 pagesfor his english students at cornell. 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.

This publisher specialises in public domain classics. 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 plain english style and concentrates attention on the rules. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines. Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunk s book, white edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of the elements of style. After whites essay appeared in 1957, a friend made him a gift of strunks book, and, white. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Strunk and white the elements of style test your knowledge on the best speech styles. This 2005 revision takes nothing away from the book, but reconsiders the original from a design perspective.

The elements of style by strunk and white introduction. The book is the element of style by william strunk, jr. By the way, the work does have a picture book edition, if that helps. Words and expressions commonly misused strunk and white many of the words and expressions listed here are not so much bad english as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. Although the original 43page digest has swelled to a whopping 85 pages, the essence of the book remains a strong case for cleanliness, accuracy, and brevity. The elements of style oliver strunk contents foreword ix introduction xiii i. Cornell university english professor william strunk jr. 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. 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. Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a musthave for any student and conscientious writer. In a sense, the book was his own personal style guide. The book frames this within a triplet credited to an influential lecturer. The elements of style edition 4 by william strunk, e. White was wrong about some of the elements of style.

This books unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the. White was asked to augment and edit the guide for a wider audience. This is also the usage of the government printing office and of the oxford university press. The public domain edition was published in 1918, and is half the length of recent editions. When white died in 1985, elements was in its third. Apr 22, 2009 but, as white remembered strunk, he felt it was worse to be irresolute than to be wrong.

The elements of style illustrated by william strunk, e. The 18 main topics are organized under the headings, elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, a few matters of form, words and expressions commonly misused, and words often misspelled. No 23 the elements of style by william strunk and eb white 1959. Published april 16, 1959, strunk and white s the elements of style went on to win critical acclaim and total sales of more than 10 million copies. A summary of the elements of style by strunk and white.

Commissioned by macmillan to revise strunks book, white edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of the elements of style. Whites expansion and modernization of strunk and tenneys 1935 revised edition yielded the writing style manual. Elements of style strunk and white allyn and bacon. In 1957 the style guide reached the attention of e. Their central claim for style seems to cohere with this point as well. Raised in connecticut by a creative mother and selftaught architectural designer, erin learned to love every aspect of the home building and decorating process from a very young age. Tenney later revised it for publication as the elements and practice of composition 1935. White is probably the most influential grammar guide in the englishspeaking world. Elements of style by the well known authors william jr. White was a student in professor strunks class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. After revision and enlargement by his former student e. Strunk and white the elements of style quiz proprofs quiz.