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    The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition )
    The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition )
    The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition )
    Ebook72 pages48 minutes

    The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition )

    By William Strunk and The griffin classics

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    About this ebook

    Auteur Strunk, William, 1869-1946
    Titre The Elements of Style
    Langue Anglais
    Classe LoC PE: Language and Literatures: English
    Sujet English language -- Rhetoric
    Sujet English language -- Style
    Sujet Report writing
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe griffin classics
    Release dateSep 28, 2020
    ISBN9782378077044
    The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition )

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    Reviews for The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition )

    4/5

    2,450 ratings81 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A virtual necessity yet considering its age, a wonder that it’s still relevant. A legend for a reason and an essential foundational work.
    • 4/5
      I like the concise points and don't understand what the controversy is about the book; his points make sense to me and seem valid, especially for student writers.
    • 3/5
      A fairly boring read - the book is just a long list of grammar and style suggestions - but a decent reference to check every now and then. That said, if you already know what to look for, a google search is likely more effective. Therefore, a quick read through of this sort of book may be useful to know what questions to ask.
    • 5/5
      Really a wonderful guide. It's not just a guide, though! I actually read it front to back and the voice of these men blends and instructs with sharp wit and dry humor. There are one-liners here on writing that are priceless!
    • 5/5
      A bit intense on grammar vocabulary, but beyond that, an invaluable handbook.
    • 3/5
      Not as good as blurb suggests.
    • 5/5
      Whenever I write (this line included), I make use of something I read in this book.
    • 5/5
      If everybody in the world read this book before afflicting us with their writing, the world would be a better place. THE book on improving one's writing style.
    • 5/5
      I firmly believe that everyone who plans to attend school past the ninth grade needs to own a copy of this book, and read it cover to cover at least once. It's not exactly a gripping read, but so many common mistakes could be avoided if the general public would at least skim this classic work. And really, it's not as boring as you would think. In fact, some parts are downright amusing.
    • 5/5
      A classic and it should be. Eliminate needless words. Be clear. Know the language and let it speak.
    • 2/5
      While not really the sacred text of written style that some American high school English teachers still try to make it, Elements of Style nevertheless remains a high watermark for literary style guides. It's slipping into irrelevancy as people cease to read and write books, alas.
    • 3/5
      This is a great pocket style guide almost. It covers all of the basics and is good for looking up quick writing references. It is not nearly complete so it is only good for general information.
    • 4/5
      I've written in LiberaryThing that I read this book from July 3th to July 6th 2008, but it's not really a book you read. It's a book you study over and over again. And use as a reference.And for that it's excellent. It's filled with solid advice and "rules", or directions, on how to write a better text.
    • 5/5
      The Elements of Style is an invaluable reference to anyone who writes (everyone). Revisit it often and you will see its secrets permeate your writing. At 100 pages it fits in anyone's reading schedule and bookshelf.
    • 5/5
      Classic. I remember seeing my first copy in seventh grade English class and thinking what a clever, handy little book. I think I've probably gone through a few copies of my own since then. Other style books may be bigger and cover more complex usage situations, but really, if you have Strunk and White the chances are good you can find an answer to your question.
    • 5/5
      I can see why this is a classic. Short and to the point, this book is must for all writers. This title will be by my side whenever I write. Buy it! Learn it! Master it!
    • 4/5
      Is this a flawed book?Of course. The style of prose it advocates was already out of date when it was published. It presents the taste of its authors' as inviolable laws, leading to painful contortions in the written language of those who try to follow it.As the previous sentence indicates, even in matters of simple punctuation I do not agree with The Elements of Style.And yet much of the advice is still solid. Even if you disagree with Strunk and White, it is better to have consciously rejected a rule than to have never considered the matter. There is also a surprising playfulness with language that appears between dour pronunciations. This side of The Elements of style was unknown to me prior to reading it, seemingly having been missed by both its detractors and fanatics.
    • 5/5
      An absolute must-own for every writer. I've been teaching journalism/communications classes since 1986, and I've been recommending this book to students every semester.
    • 4/5
      In some circles, this little book is something of a raging debate. Is it anachronistic? It was written 80 years ago. Is it helpful? Most of my syllubi from various English professors/teachers have this as recommended reading.Because of the wild divergence in writing styles between different English dialects, genres (horror, westerns, romance) let alone between different classifications (creative, exposition, technical), there is no one book that can be pointed at as the style guide to have. Strunk & White, however, do come close despite some of the outdated advice. We rarely hyphenate a word at the end of a line---that was a typewriter thing. To-morrow is outmoded. The mistakes the average student makes today are very close to the ones Strunk found in the essays he read a century ago. Use consistent tense, use active voice, do not overwrite. The Elements of Style works across dialect and genre. An intelligent writer will find more helpful advice in this book than anything else.
    • 1/5
      Another review gave links to discussions by linguists on this book. You should read what people who have made their living studying language have to say about Strunk and White. Strunk and White can't even follow their own advice well. In one instance they say not to use the passive voice unless it is necessary, and yet in the first hundred sentences in their book, they use the passive 21 times, and none of them because it was necessary. E.B. White is a wonderful author, but if you read Charlotte's Web, he is consistantly breaking his own rules. If he can't follow them, why should you?If you really want to learn how to write well, practice writing. Read the classics, and study how the masters write. Don't let the blind lead the blind.
    • 5/5
      The Bible of writing. In fact, more Library Thing members have this Bible than the King James Bible. I checked.
    • 5/5
      The epitome of concise usage among English speaking writers. Only the best.
    • 5/5
      A classic I first read in college -- one that has informed my work ever since. Its embrace of brevity is admirable, and in the age of the Internet, more relevant than ever.
    • 2/5
      It has some good advice on writing and some terrible lies about grammar.
    • 4/5
      Best book on writing I have read so far! concise and easy to understand...
    • 5/5
      a classic guide to clarity in writing. Strunk and White steer a course towards clean, lean writing that clearly communicates its purpose. While little or nothing in the book seems wrong, it fails only in that it is not extensive enough.
    • 5/5
      If you're only going to buy one writing reference book, this is the one you want. It's the bedrock upon which clear, understandable prose is based.
    • 5/5
      Use this stick to beat bad writers and sloppy thinkers. (There's probably something in those 92 potent pages that says where the previous sentence went wrong. *sigh*)
    • 5/5
      It astonishes me that at the age of 31 and a half, I've only just acquired Strunk and White. Everyone who is glad to own a dictionary should have this too. Classic reference work.
    • 5/5
      Compact and easy to use, but it can really sharpen your writing. I'm recommending it to my students now, and I'll be adding it as a suggested book on all future syllabi.

    Book preview

    The Elements of Style ( Fourth Edition ) - William Strunk

    Style

    William Strunk Jr.

    Published: 1918

    Categorie(s): Non-Fiction

    Chapter 1

    Introductory

    This book is intended for use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. It aims to give in a brief space the principal requirements of plain English style. 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 composition most commonly violated. The numbers of the sections may be used as references in correcting manuscript.

    The book covers only a small portion of the field of English style, but the experience of its writer has been that once past the essentials, students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work, and that each instructor has his own body of theory, which he prefers to that offered by any textbook.

    The writer's colleagues in the Department of English in Cornell University have greatly helped him in the preparation of his manuscript. Mr. George McLane Wood has kindly consented to the inclusion under Rule 11 of some material from his Suggestions to Authors.

    The following books are recommended for reference or further study: in connection with Chapters II and IV:

    F. Howard Collins, Author and Printer (Henry Frowde);

    Chicago University Press, Manual of Style;

    T. L. De Vinne Correct Composition (The Century Company);

    Horace Hart, Rules for Compositors and Printers (Oxford University Press);

    George McLane Wood, Extracts from the Style-Book of the Government Printing Office (United States Geological Survey);

    In connection with Chapters III and V:

    Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, The Art of Writing (Putnams), especially the chapter, Interlude on Jargon;

    George McLane Wood, Suggestions to Authors (United States Geological Survey);

    John Leslie Hall, English Usage (Scott, Foresman and Co.);

    James P. Kelly, Workmanship in Words (Little, Brown and Co.).

    It is an old observation that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader will usually find in the sentence some compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of doing as well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned, by their guidance, to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look, for the secrets of style, to the study of the masters of literature.

    Chapter 2

    Elementary Rules of Usage

    1. Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.

    Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

    Charles's friend

    Burns's poems

    the witch's malice

    This is the usage of the United States Government Printing Office and of the Oxford University Press.

    Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names in -es and -is, the possessive Jesus' , and such forms as for conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake. But such forms as Achilles' heel, Moses' laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by

    the heel of Achilles

    the laws of Moses

    the temple of Isis

    The pronominal possessives hers, its, theirs, yours, and oneself have no apostrophe.

    2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.

    Thus write,

    red,

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