Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style" is the best-known instruction book on writing in English.
I organized and distilled chapter five, "An Approach to Style (With a List of Reminders)," from 6,500 words to 1,300.
The summary includes ten observations and 21 reminders:
I organized and distilled chapter five, "An Approach to Style (With a List of Reminders)," from 6,500 words to 1,300.
The summary includes ten observations and 21 reminders:
There’s no key that unlocks the door...
🔷No infallible guide to good writing
🔷No satisfactory explanation of style
🔷No inflexible rule by which writers may shape their course
🔷No infallible guide to good writing
🔷No satisfactory explanation of style
🔷No inflexible rule by which writers may shape their course
These reminders state what most of us know and at times forget...
🔷Style is an expression of self
🔷To approach it, turn away from mannerisms, tricks, and adornments
🔷Move toward plainness, simplicity, orderliness, and sincerity
🔷Style is an expression of self
🔷To approach it, turn away from mannerisms, tricks, and adornments
🔷Move toward plainness, simplicity, orderliness, and sincerity
A careful and honest writer does not need to worry about style...
🔷The writer is the style, and the style is the writer
🔷Who you are, not what you know, will determine your style
🔷The writer is the style, and the style is the writer
🔷Who you are, not what you know, will determine your style
No writer long remains incognito...
🔷A style reveals a writer’s identity, as surely as fingerprints
🔷Writers reveal their spirits, their habits, their capacities, and their biases
🔷Writing is communication, and creative writing is the Self escaping into the open
🔷A style reveals a writer’s identity, as surely as fingerprints
🔷Writers reveal their spirits, their habits, their capacities, and their biases
🔷Writing is communication, and creative writing is the Self escaping into the open
1. To achieve style, begin by affecting none...
🔷That is, place yourself in the background
🔷Draw the reader's attention to the sense and substance of the writing
🔷Solid writing reveals the temper of the writer, and not at the expense of the work
🔷That is, place yourself in the background
🔷Draw the reader's attention to the sense and substance of the writing
🔷Solid writing reveals the temper of the writer, and not at the expense of the work
2. Write in a way that comes naturally...
🔷The use of language begins with imitation
🔷Never imitate consciously, but don't worry about being an imitator
🔷Take pains to admire what is good
🔷Use words and phrases that come readily to hand
🔷The use of language begins with imitation
🔷Never imitate consciously, but don't worry about being an imitator
🔷Take pains to admire what is good
🔷Use words and phrases that come readily to hand
3. Work from a suitable design...
🔷Great writing will be found to have a secret plan
🔷Design informs even the simplest structure
🔷Anticipate what you are getting into and build a scheme
🔷Lest you miss the forest for the trees and there be no end to your labors
🔷Great writing will be found to have a secret plan
🔷Design informs even the simplest structure
🔷Anticipate what you are getting into and build a scheme
🔷Lest you miss the forest for the trees and there be no end to your labors
4. Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs...
🔷Nouns and verbs, not their assistants, give good writing its toughness and color
🔷No adjective can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place
🔷This is not to disparage adjectives and adverbs
🔷Nouns and verbs, not their assistants, give good writing its toughness and color
🔷No adjective can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place
🔷This is not to disparage adjectives and adverbs
5. Revise and rewrite...
🔷Few writers produce what they’re after on the first try
🔷Therefore, revising is part of writing
🔷Don’t be afraid to experiment with what you’ve written
🔷It’s no sign of weakness that your work needs major surgery
🔷Few writers produce what they’re after on the first try
🔷Therefore, revising is part of writing
🔷Don’t be afraid to experiment with what you’ve written
🔷It’s no sign of weakness that your work needs major surgery
6. Do not overwrite...
🔷Guard against wordiness
🔷Ruthlessly delete excess
🔷Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest
🔷Guard against wordiness
🔷Ruthlessly delete excess
🔷Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest
7. Do not overstate...
🔷Everything before and after an overstatement is suspect
🔷A single overstatement diminishes the whole
🔷A single carefree superlative has the power to destroy
🔷Readers must have confidence in your judgment and poise
🔷Everything before and after an overstatement is suspect
🔷A single overstatement diminishes the whole
🔷A single carefree superlative has the power to destroy
🔷Readers must have confidence in your judgment and poise
8. Avoid the use of qualifiers (like rather, very, little, and pretty)...
🔷These are leeches that infest the pond of prose
🔷Do a *little* better, be *very* watchful, for it’s *rather* important, and we are *pretty* sure to violate it
🔷These are leeches that infest the pond of prose
🔷Do a *little* better, be *very* watchful, for it’s *rather* important, and we are *pretty* sure to violate it
9. Do not affect a breezy manner...
🔷Don’t cut rhetorical capers
🔷Be compact, informative, unpretentious
🔷Present items in a straightforward manner
🔷Keep a tight rein on the material and stay out of the act
🔷Don’t cut rhetorical capers
🔷Be compact, informative, unpretentious
🔷Present items in a straightforward manner
🔷Keep a tight rein on the material and stay out of the act
10. Use orthodox spelling...
🔷Unorthodox spellings defeat their own purpose
🔷Unaccepted and oversimplified spellings exhaust patience
🔷Readers mentally supply missing letters of an abbreviation at the cost of a fraction of attention
🔷Unorthodox spellings defeat their own purpose
🔷Unaccepted and oversimplified spellings exhaust patience
🔷Readers mentally supply missing letters of an abbreviation at the cost of a fraction of attention
11. Do not explain too much...
🔷Be sparing
🔷Do not overwork adverbs
🔷It is seldom advisable to tell all
🔷Let the conversation itself disclose the speaker's manner or condition
🔷Be sparing
🔷Do not overwork adverbs
🔷It is seldom advisable to tell all
🔷Let the conversation itself disclose the speaker's manner or condition
12. Do not construct awkward adverbs...
🔷Do not dress words up by adding -ly to them
🔷Such adverbs are easy to build
🔷But you're probably be better off without them
🔷Words not used orally are seldom the ones to put on paper
🔷Do not dress words up by adding -ly to them
🔷Such adverbs are easy to build
🔷But you're probably be better off without them
🔷Words not used orally are seldom the ones to put on paper
13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking...
🔷Indicate who the speaker is
🔷In dialogue, obscurity is an imposition
🔷Make sure attributives don’t awkwardly interrupt a spoken sentence
🔷Place them where the break would come naturally in speech
🔷Indicate who the speaker is
🔷In dialogue, obscurity is an imposition
🔷Make sure attributives don’t awkwardly interrupt a spoken sentence
🔷Place them where the break would come naturally in speech
14. Avoid fancy words...
🔷Use Anglo-Saxon words
🔷Cock your ear and let it be your guide
🔷Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute
🔷Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy
🔷Use Anglo-Saxon words
🔷Cock your ear and let it be your guide
🔷Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute
🔷Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy
15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good...
🔷Be economical of your talents
🔷If you use dialect, be consistent
🔷Spare your readers as you convince them
🔷Use the minimum, not the maximum, of deviation from the norm
🔷Be economical of your talents
🔷If you use dialect, be consistent
🔷Spare your readers as you convince them
🔷Use the minimum, not the maximum, of deviation from the norm
16. Think of the tragedies that are rooted in ambiguity, and be clear!
🔷Clarity is not always the principal mark of a good style
🔷But since writing is communication, clarity can only be a virtue
🔷And although there is no substitute for merit in writing, clarity comes closest
🔷Clarity is not always the principal mark of a good style
🔷But since writing is communication, clarity can only be a virtue
🔷And although there is no substitute for merit in writing, clarity comes closest
17. Do not inject opinion...
🔷Try to keep things straight
🔷The demand for your opinion is not brisk
🔷Inject opinion only if there is a good reason for its being there
🔷Opinions scattered indiscriminately leave a mark of egotism
🔷Try to keep things straight
🔷The demand for your opinion is not brisk
🔷Inject opinion only if there is a good reason for its being there
🔷Opinions scattered indiscriminately leave a mark of egotism
18. Use figures of speech sparingly...
🔷Rapid fire similes are more distracting than illuminating
🔷Give readers time to catch their breath
🔷Readers can't be expected to compare everything with something else, with no relief in sight
🔷Rapid fire similes are more distracting than illuminating
🔷Give readers time to catch their breath
🔷Readers can't be expected to compare everything with something else, with no relief in sight
19. Don't take shortcuts at the cost of clarity...
🔷Write things out
🔷The longest way round is usually the shortest way home
🔷The one reliable shortcut is choosing surefooted words to carry readers on their way
🔷Many shortcuts waste the reader's time instead of conserving it
🔷Write things out
🔷The longest way round is usually the shortest way home
🔷The one reliable shortcut is choosing surefooted words to carry readers on their way
🔷Many shortcuts waste the reader's time instead of conserving it
20. Avoid foreign languages...
🔷It’s occasionally necessary to borrow from other languages
🔷Some writers, though, sprinkle their work with foreign expressions
🔷It’s a bad habit and shows no regard for the reader’s comfort
🔷So, write in English
🔷It’s occasionally necessary to borrow from other languages
🔷Some writers, though, sprinkle their work with foreign expressions
🔷It’s a bad habit and shows no regard for the reader’s comfort
🔷So, write in English
21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat...
🔷Young writers are drawn toward eccentricities in language
🔷They hear the beat of new vocabularies and exciting rhythms
🔷The challenge for beginners is to listen, learn the words, feel the vibrations, and don’t be carried away
🔷Young writers are drawn toward eccentricities in language
🔷They hear the beat of new vocabularies and exciting rhythms
🔷The challenge for beginners is to listen, learn the words, feel the vibrations, and don’t be carried away
Break through barriers that separate you from other minds and other hearts...
🔷That’s the purpose of writing – and its principal reward
🔷As you get better, your style will emerge, because you yourself will emerge
🔷And you’ll find it easy to reach other minds and other hearts
🔷That’s the purpose of writing – and its principal reward
🔷As you get better, your style will emerge, because you yourself will emerge
🔷And you’ll find it easy to reach other minds and other hearts
Feel free to experiment with language...
🔷It’s not the intent of these cautionary remarks to suggest otherwise
🔷You may ask, “What if it comes natural to me to experiment? What if I am a pioneer, or even a genius?"
🔷Answer: then be one
🔷It’s not the intent of these cautionary remarks to suggest otherwise
🔷You may ask, “What if it comes natural to me to experiment? What if I am a pioneer, or even a genius?"
🔷Answer: then be one
But remember, what may seem like pioneering may be merely evasion, or laziness...
🔷Writing good standard English is no cinch
🔷Before you’ve managed it, you will have encountered enough rough country to satisfy even the most adventurous spirit
🔷Writing good standard English is no cinch
🔷Before you’ve managed it, you will have encountered enough rough country to satisfy even the most adventurous spirit
Beginners should err on the side of conservatism...
🔷No idiom is taboo and no accent is forbidden
🔷But there's a better chance of doing well if you hold a steady course
🔷Show concern for readers & sympathize with their plight
🔷Don’t paralyze their senses, engage them
🔷No idiom is taboo and no accent is forbidden
🔷But there's a better chance of doing well if you hold a steady course
🔷Show concern for readers & sympathize with their plight
🔷Don’t paralyze their senses, engage them
In your writing, four unpardonable sins show you haven’t done your work...
🔷Adopting a patronizing air
🔷Being humorless, dull, and empty
🔷Saying something when you have nothing to say
🔷Directing the attention of the reader to yourself
🔷Adopting a patronizing air
🔷Being humorless, dull, and empty
🔷Saying something when you have nothing to say
🔷Directing the attention of the reader to yourself
You are ready for exposure...
🔷When you’re full of belief
🔷When you’re armed with the rules of grammar
🔷When you’re sustained and elevated by the power of purpose
🔷When you’re full of belief
🔷When you’re armed with the rules of grammar
🔷When you’re sustained and elevated by the power of purpose
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