The Elements of Style

By William Strunk Jr

The Elements of Style William Strunk concentrated on specific questions of usage—and the cultivation of good writing—with the recommendation "Make every word tell"; hence the 17th principle of composition is the simple instruction: "Omit needless words." The book was also listed as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923 by Time in its 2011 list.

• Language: English
• Publisher: e-artnow
• Release date: May 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9788026893417

William Strunk Jr

William Strunk, Jr. (1869-1946) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the eldest of William and Ella Garretson Strunk's four children. Strunk excelled in school, eventually earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD at Cornell University. He then attended the Sorbonne and the Collège de France from 1898-99 where he studied morphology and philology. Strunk began his academic career teaching mathematics at Rose Polytechnical Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1890-91, then returned to Cornell and taught English there for 46 years. In 1922 he published English Metres, a study of poetic metrical form, and began writing he critical editions of various classical works. Strunk joined a literary group called the Manuscript Club which held Saturday night meetings to discuss writing and literature. There, Strunk met and became friends with a young aspiring writer, Elwyn Brooks ("E.B.") White. In 1918, Strunk published The Elements of Style, but originally only intended it to be used by his Cornell students, who nicknamed it "the little book." In 1935, Strunk and Edward A. Tenney revised the manuscript and re-published the guide for wider distribution as The Elements and Practice of Composition. Years later, after Strunk had passed away, E.B. White - now working at the New Yorker - praised the "little book" in his column, calling it a "forty-three-page summation of the case for cleanliness, accuracy, and brevity in the use of English." As a result of the new attention White's praise generated for Strunk's manuscript, Macmillan and Company commissioned White to revise the 1935 edition for republication. The resulting book became an immediate hit. Since The Elements of Style (now credited to both Strunk and White) was originally republished in 1959, sales of the book - and subsequent editions - has exceeded ten million copies and the book is often referred to simply as "Strunk and White." William Strunk retired from Cornell in 1937 and in 1945 he suffered a mental breakdown, diagnosed as "senile psychosis." He died less than a year later at the Hudson River Psychiatric Institute in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Book preview

I. Introductory

Table of Contents

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.

II. Elementary Rules of Usage

Table of Contents

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

Table of Contents

Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

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 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

Reviews for The Elements of Style

[scottcholstad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A virtual necessity yet considering its age, a wonder that it’s still relevant. A legend for a reason and an essential foundational work.

[emanate28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[andrewlovesoldbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[tyroeternal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[simonlarsen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[janemarieprice · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[popejephei · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

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.

[jpsnow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic and it should be. Eliminate needless words. Be clear. Know the language and let it speak.

[kerrvillecate · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The epitome of concise usage among English speaking writers. Only the best.

[jenngauthier · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[bridget1eileen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Bible of writing. In fact, more Library Thing members have this Bible than the King James Bible. I checked.

[brianinbuffalo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[somebodyelse_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

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.

[killermuffin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[airycat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Should be required reading annually for all speakers of English, from grade school 'til death.

[danbarrett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best book of it's kind, ever. Wins on substance, personality, and ease-of-putting-in-your-pocket. If you don't own this book then you should.

[ulfhjorr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[angharad_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[nocturnish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[chris_el-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So I read this about 5 or 6 times and then CLEP'ed English comp 1. Great book that simply explains the things you need to know to communicate well in writing. :)

[alexthehunn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[wenestvedt_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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*)

[lynleys-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This may have been the first book I read on style. I read it from cover to cover and I'm sure it helped me get through essays.

[philsyphe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I first read this before starting a creative writing & English course at university in 2009 and read it again at the end of my degree when I decided to become a proofreader (& later a copy-editor too).Some criticize this for being dated. In some respects it is. For example, one instruction is to write "some one" not "someone". This confused me at first, but further study of English style from more modern sources helped me define what rules were out of date in this book.Thus, my final verdict is that this is a good investment - even Stephen King has used it and recommends that all aspiring authors invest in a copy. A good story written with bad style is not really a good story after all.Amongst other things, this book guides you with writing well-structured sentences, advises how and when to use punctuation, and lists certain words that should be avoided for the sake of good form.The first time I read this I found it hard going, but it appeared much more straightforward upon a second reading. Bearing this in mind, a more modern book on style may be a better first choice for someone wanting to improve their form, but once they learn the basics then reading this should be worth their while.

[wishanem · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read more criticism than support of "The Elements of Style", and most of the complaints are valid. Regardless of its faults it should not be ignored or forgotten. While not always technically correct its advice is brief, direct, and positive. Don't take it too seriously and it can't hurt you.

If you write, read it.

[kvhardy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got this book over a year ago, and refer to it again and again. And again. While not a thick book, this book is essential in being able to write properly, even if you just want to write an email. And one of the best things about it (to me), is its explantions on commas and apostrophes, and all those nebulous areas of grammar.

[locriian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great book, however I disagree with their opposition to the use of singular "they".

[deckla_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the original 1918 version, not the expansion with E.B. White's wit. Evidently, Strunk AND White is not available in a digital edition; only Strunk, because he's out of copyright. The one with Maira Kalman's illustrations is also not available in digital form.

[howifeelaboutbooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm one of those English majors who threw around "Strunk and White" knowingly, but had never read the book. So I decided to remedy that just a few years after graduation. As an English major, I think most of the knowledge in this book is things we learned in class, and therefore seems common sense to us. There is some interesting advice, but the rules I was the most unclear about were actually the ones that didn't have detailed explanations accompanying them, so that turned me off.

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am surprised that anyone would give this book a one-star rating, and yet some people have done that. I have no arguments with them, as we each have our own view of the books we read.For me, this is a brilliant book. I did not think that it would take me ten days to read 97 pages, but it did. The writing style is simple, and not a word is wasted. It was well worth the time I took to read the book carefully. The rules have been laid out in a simple manner, and the examples are clear. I like this book so much, that I ordered two paperback copies, one for my son and one for me. It is good to have this book as a handy reference. Prof Strunk seems to have been a man of exceptional clarity of thought, and this is reflected in the manner in which he has laid out the book, and given the examples. Mr White's section is a very useful addition. It adds to the value of the book. It is an essential guide to any aspiring writer.