The Elements of Style - Strunk and White - ***

The Elements of Style

Note: I have no idea why Strunk and White would make the first chapter of this book so inaccessable to the average reader. Here's an example:
"Participial phrases preceded by a conjunction or by a preposition, nouns in apposition, adjectives, and adjective phrases come under the same rule if they begin the sentence."

The book drops the jargon somewhere around the second chapter, but it's painful until then.


TOP 5 IDEAS:
Keep related words together.
Work from a suitable design.
Write in a way that comes naturally, and don't assume that because you've acted naturally, your product is without flaw.
Make the paragraph your unit of writing.
Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.


Charles's is correct, Charles' isn't
Semicolons combine two complete sentences.
Colons link sentences while continuing the flow.

Singular subjects use is, plurals use are, regardless of what they're linked to

He's one of those people WHO'S never ready on time: INCORRECT
He's one of those people WHO'RE never ready on time: CORRECT
His speech as well as his manners are objectionable: INCORRECT
His speech as well as his manners is objectionable: CORRECT

If NONE means NOT ONE, use singular forms:
None of us is perfect - RIGHT
None of us are perfect - WRONG
-- what the hell
-- this makes sense. "one of us", not "us", is the subject

Compound cliches (the long and short of it) are considered singular
Every is considered singular, no matter how many subjects follow it
"Every window, picture, and mirror was smashed."

Make the paragraph your unit of writing.

Show, not tell.
Make definite assertions in writing. "Not" shouldn't be used as an evasion, i.e., "He was not pleased with the ending."
Don't use "would", "should", etc. unless there's uncertainty.
Prefer specific, definite language over abstraction.

Extra words are bad.
"The fact that" is an unacceptable phrase.
-- I agree, it tips your hand as a cliche-spewing chump

Avoid a succession of loose sentences (two-part sentences joined with "and", "but", etc.)
If you've written a monotonous paragraph, reform it. Simple sentences can be good.

Keep related words together.
-- that's very helpful advice
-- when I'm editing or rereading my work, I'll check to see whether I've put the words in the strongest order

Make sure your sentences don't have multiple interpretations.
Example: "All of the members were not present."
Does that mean "Not all of the members were present." or "All of the members were absent."?

Keep summaries to one tense.

Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.
-- I've been trying to do this.
The other prominent position in a sentence is at the beginning.
-- if you emphasize something in the beginning of a sentence it has a natural tendency to get overruled by the emphasis at the end of the sentence
-- use one emphasis per sentence for stronger messages

Exclamation marks are reserved for actual exclamations.
-- tell that to the easily excitable, they'll fight you for it


MISUSED WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

And/or: a device, or shortcut, that damages a sentence and often leads to confusion or ambiguity
-- shouldn't that read "confusion and/or ambiguity"? hehehe

Cases: Don't use "cases" unless referring to actual incidents (or casings)

Claim (verb): Not to be used as a substitute for DECLARE, MAINTAIN, or CHARGE.
-- I'd use it as a substitute for DECLARE or MAINTAIN when intentionally leaving room for doubt: "He claimed he put it back, but it's not there."
-- The dictionary agrees: "To state to be true, especially when open to question; ASSERT or MAINTAIN."
-- owned

Compare to / Compare with:
Compare to = dissimilar things
Compare with = similar things

Comprise: Don't confuse COMPRISE with CONSTITUTE
-- comprise = consist of
-- constitute = amount to
-- I'm probably guilty of this

Different than: should be DIFFERENT FROM

Factor: Another cliche-spewing chump word, avoid it

Farther and Further:
farther = distance
further = time, quantity

Feature: Another cliche-spewing chump word, avoid it

The common word meaning "combustible" is "inflammable". But some people are thrown off by the in- and think "inflammable" now means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE.
-- HAHAHAHA, that's the saddest thing I've ever heard, especially since the book was published before I was born and flammable's a legitimate word now

Fortuitous: Don't confuse FORTUITOUS with FORTUNATE
Fortuitous = happening by chance
Fortunate = lucky
-- guilty of this

More importantly: should be MORE IMPORTANT

-ize: people were making verbs by adding -ize to nouns: listed are CUSTOMIZE, PRIORITIZE, and FINALIZE
-- I bet grammarians rarely win these battles: though the law's on their side, the speakers of the house are not, and thus they find themselves outvoted and the law changed

Less: use FEWER when fewer applies
Regretful: not to be used in place of REGRETTABLE
They: not for use in addressing a group of people
Transpire: does not mean HAPPENED - means LEAKED OUT


STYLE ADVICE

Place yourself in the background.
Write in a way that comes naturally, and don't assume that because you've acted naturally, your product is without flaw.

"Don't assume that because you've acted naturally, your product is without flaw."
-- I wish I had invented that sentence. It perfectly captures my attitude toward people who use the authenticity of their actions as a shield against reproach.

Work from a suitable design.
-- I've never done that, it could help a lot

Revise and rewrite.
Don't overwrite.
Don't overstate.
Don't use qualifiers (rather, very, little, pretty).

Don't be Spontaneous Me.
-- save the stream-of-consciousness bullshit for your blog

Don't explain too much. Let conversation disclose the speaker's manner or condition.
Avoid fancy words. Let your ear be your guide.

Be clear.
"There are occasions when obscurity serves a literary yearning, if not a literary purpose. . ."
-- Hah!

Don't inject opinion into your writing.
Use figures of speech sparingly.
Prefer the standard to the offbeat.
What's appropriate in advertising or business writing may not be for formal or literary writing.