The Elements of Style
The Elements of Style is a concise American English writing style guide originally written by William Strunk Jr. in 1918 as a handbook for his students at Cornell University, later revised and expanded by E. B. White in 1959, emphasizing principles of clarity, brevity, and simplicity in prose.[1] William Strunk Jr. (1869–1946), an English professor at Cornell, privately printed the initial 43-page version in 1919 for classroom use, focusing on elementary rules of usage, principles of composition, and matters of form to promote vigorous writing by eliminating unnecessary words and ambiguity.[2] After Strunk's death, his former student E. B. White (1899–1985), a prominent essayist and co-author of Charlotte's Web, updated the text at the request of Macmillan publishers, adding a chapter on style, fresh examples, and an introduction that preserved the original's terse tone while broadening its appeal.[1] The 1959 edition, commonly known as "Strunk and White" and credited to both authors, became a bestseller, with over ten million copies sold across subsequent printings and editions, including the fourth edition in 2000.[3] The book's enduring influence stems from its 18 core rules—such as "Omit needless words" and "Use definite, specific, concrete language"—along with guidance on avoiding common errors in grammar, punctuation, and diction to achieve "plain English" that communicates ideas effectively without ornamentation.[1] Widely adopted in schools, universities, and professional writing contexts, it has shaped generations of writers, journalists, and editors.[1] It has faced criticism for its rigid prescriptions in an evolving linguistic landscape. Despite debates over its prescriptive approach, The Elements of Style remains a foundational text, celebrated for distilling complex stylistic advice into accessible, memorable directives.Background and Development
Origins and Initial Publication
William Strunk Jr., born in 1869 and a longtime professor of English at Cornell University from 1899 to 1937, created The Elements of Style as a practical guide for his students amid his teaching career focused on rhetoric and literature.[4] Holding a Ph.D. from Cornell in 1896, Strunk sought to distill essential guidance on clear writing to aid both instructors and learners in mastering plain English.[5] His motivation stemmed from a desire to promote cleanliness, accuracy, and brevity in composition, addressing common pitfalls in student work through a compact format.[6] In 1918, Strunk privately printed the book in Ithaca, New York, producing a slim, 43-page volume small enough to fit in a pocket, affectionately known on campus as "the little book."[6] This initial edition, prepared by the Press of W. P. Humphrey in Geneva, New York, was designed exclusively for classroom use and distributed to students in his English 8 course at Cornell the following year.[3] Its limited circulation remained confined to the university community, with no broader commercial release at the time.[4] The content of this original edition emphasized foundational writing mechanics in a straightforward structure, beginning with an introductory overview of its purpose to outline key requirements of English style in brief form.[7] It included seven elementary rules of usage covering topics such as possessives, commas, and sentence structure; eleven elementary principles of composition advocating for active voice, positive statements, and concise expression; a section on a few matters of form addressing formatting like numerals and quotations; and a list of words and expressions commonly misused, along with guidance on spelling.[6] This focused arrangement reflected Strunk's academic roots, prioritizing utility for undergraduate education over exhaustive coverage. The book saw its first commercial publication in 1920 by Harcourt, Brace and Howe, expanding its reach beyond Cornell.[7]Revisions and Collaboration with E.B. White
E.B. White, who had been a student of William Strunk Jr. at Cornell University in the 1910s, encountered Strunk's original 1918 text again in 1957 when it came to his attention at The New Yorker, where he worked as a contributor.[1] In 1957, following Strunk's death in 1946, Macmillan Publishing Company commissioned White to revise and expand the book for broader college and general audiences, leading to the 1959 edition co-credited to Strunk and White.[8][1] Macmillan editor Jack Case played a key role in facilitating this collaboration by providing White with photocopies of Strunk's original manuscript and encouraging the project.[1] The 1959 edition marked a significant evolution, expanding the slim original to 71 pages while preserving Strunk's core rules on usage, composition, and form.[9] White infused the revision with his personal voice through a new introduction, derived from his 1957 New Yorker essay reminiscing about Strunk as a teacher, and added Chapter V, "An Approach to Style," which offered 21 reminders emphasizing clarity, vigor, and the writer's responsibility to the reader.[1][4][10] In 1979, White oversaw a third edition with minor updates to align the text with evolving contemporary usage, including critiques of words like "offputting," "ongoing," and "meaningful" as imprecise or overused, alongside suggestions for more exact alternatives.[11] He also removed or revised some outdated examples from prior editions to maintain relevance without altering the book's foundational principles.[11][10]Content and Structure
Core Rules of Usage and Composition
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White presents a set of foundational guidelines in its early parts, emphasizing precision in grammar, punctuation, and basic writing mechanics. These rules, drawn primarily from Strunk's original 1918 edition and refined in subsequent versions, form the book's practical core, aiming to foster clear and economical expression without unnecessary complexity. Part I focuses on elementary rules of usage, Part II on principles of composition, Part III on matters of form, and Part IV on commonly misused words and expressions. Together, they provide actionable advice for writers seeking to avoid common pitfalls in English prose.[12]Part I: Elementary Rules of Usage
This section outlines 11 fundamental rules for grammatical correctness and punctuation, designed to ensure sentences are structurally sound and unambiguous. Strunk stresses adherence to these as the bedrock of effective writing, with examples illustrating proper application.- Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's: Add 's to singular nouns, regardless of ending consonant, to indicate possession. Examples include "Charles's friend" and "Burns's poems," avoiding alternatives like "Burnses" for clarity.[12]
- In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last: This prevents confusion in lists, as in "red, white, and blue," where the comma (known as the serial or Oxford comma) aids readability.[12]
- Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas: Nonessential clauses or phrases, such as "My brother, who lives in Chicago, is visiting," require commas to set them off without altering the sentence's main meaning.[12]
- Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause: When joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but), insert a comma, as in "The package arrived, but it was damaged."[12]
- Do not join independent clauses with a comma: This avoids the comma splice; instead, use a period or semicolon, preferring "She was tired. She continued working" over the erroneous "She was tired, she continued working."[12]
- Do not break sentences in two: Fragments created by periods should be integrated into full sentences, such as rephrasing "I am here. To stay" as "I am here to stay."[12]
- A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject: The subject must logically perform the action, as in "Running to catch the bus, I tripped," not "Running to catch the bus, the bus left," which implies the bus is running.[12]
- Divide words at line-ends in accordance with their formation and pronunciation: Hyphenate based on syllables for readability, such as "know-ledge" rather than "kn-owledge."[12]
- Make the subject and verb agree in number: Singular subjects take singular verbs, e.g., "The team is ready," not "The team are ready."[12]
- Use the proper case of pronoun: Employ the subjective case for subjects and objective for objects, as in "She gave it to him," avoiding "Her gave it to him."[12]
- A participial or infinitive phrase at the end of a sentence often requires the insertion of a comma: If nonessential, precede it with a comma, e.g., "He left the room, to avoid an argument."[12]
Part II: Elementary Principles of Composition
Building on usage rules, this part offers 10 principles to guide the construction of coherent prose, encouraging vigor and simplicity. Strunk's rationale emphasizes that good writing emerges from deliberate choices that eliminate ambiguity and excess.- Choose a suitable design and stick to it: Establish a clear structure, such as an outline for an essay, and maintain consistency throughout to unify the piece.[12]
- Make the paragraph the unit of composition: Center each paragraph on a single topic, using it to develop one idea fully before transitioning.[12]
- Use the active voice: Favor constructions where the subject acts, e.g., "She wrote the letter" instead of "The letter was written by her," to enhance directness and energy.[12]
- Put statements in positive form: Affirm directly rather than negate, as in "He is certain" over "He is not uncertain," for stronger impact.[12]
- Use definite, specific, concrete language: Replace vague terms with precise ones, e.g., "The car sped down Main Street" instead of "The vehicle moved quickly," to engage the reader vividly.[12]
- Omit needless words: Eliminate redundancy to achieve conciseness; Strunk explains that vigorous writing is concise, advising against phrases like "the fact that" when "that" suffices, as in revising "He ran quickly with speed" to "He ran." This principle underscores the book's central tenet that "vigorous writing is concise," promoting economy without sacrificing meaning.[12]
- Avoid a succession of loose sentences: Vary structure to prevent monotony, mixing simple, compound, and complex forms within paragraphs.[12]
- Express coordinate ideas in similar form: Employ parallel construction for balance, e.g., "She likes swimming, hiking, and reading" rather than "swimming, to hike, and reading."[12]
- Keep related words together: Position modifiers close to what they describe, as in "She only found two coins" (meaning precisely two) versus the ambiguous "She found only two coins."[12]
- In summaries, keep to one tense: Maintain consistency, e.g., using past tense throughout: "He argued that the law was unjust."[12]