Originally published in 1918 by William Strunk, Jr., an English professor at Cornell University, The Elements of Style remains a timeless classic for every writer. Strunk wrote and privately published the book for his students to use, but it became an archetype on the Cornell campus and has since sold more than 10 million copies.
In 1957, E.B. White — author, editor at The New Yorker and a former student of Strunk’s — revised “the little book” for the college market. This version was originally published in 1959; it has since been updated, and the 50th anniversary edition was released in 2009. You’ll often hear The Elements of Style referred to simply as Strunk and White.
This little book of English usage has held its place in the writing world for so long because it’s so useful, with so many practical tips. At just over 100 pages, including the index, the book is a quick read and an easy reference tool. So what’s so great about The Elements of Style? Here are some of my favorite rules from Strunk and White that address areas in which many writers struggle.
Rule 14. Use the active voice.
This means that your subjects and nouns should be doing something, not having something done to them. The active voice is more exciting, easier for readers to visualize and more concise than the passive voice.
Passive: Sam was chosen by Betty for her dance partner.
Active: Betty chose Sam for her dance partner.
Rule 15. Put statements in positive form.
Again, this makes your writing clearer and more concise, and it gets right to the point of what you are trying to say, rather than beating around the bush.
Negative: Amy is not very often on time.
Positve: Amy is usually late.
Rule 17. Omit needless words.
Strunk and White both stress brevity: Strunk in Rule 17 and White in the book’s foreword. “Vigorous writing is concise,” Strunk wrote in the original manuscript. This goes in line with what the first two rules I listed imply: Your writing should be clear, concise and to the point. Don’t make readers search for or guess at your meaning. Strunk and White say that unnecessary words and sentences in writing are like a drawing with unnecessary lines or a machine with unnecessary parts.
Wordy: in spite of the fact that
Concise: although
That’s all for this week. But this is so much fun that I’ll offer some more of my favorites from Strunk and White next week.
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