William Strunk, Jr.
William Strunk, Jr.
William Strunk Jr.was an American professor of English at Cornell University and author of the The Elements of Style. After revision and enlargement by his former student E. B. White, it became a highly influential guide to English usage during the late 20th century, commonly called Strunk & White...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth1 July 1869
CountryUnited States of America
sometimes rich prose
Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating.
writing should-have drawing
A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
nouns adjectives weak
The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place,
simplicity style orderliness
The approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity.
stronger separation formal
A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.
art principles argument
In exposition and in argument, the writer must likewise never lose his hold upon the concrete; and even when he is dealing with general principles, he must furnish particular instances of their application.
philosophy men two
In his Philosophy of Style, Herbert Spencer gives two sentences to illustrate how the vague and general can be turned into the vivid and particular: In proportion as the manners, customs, and amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous, the regulations of its penal code will be severe. In proportion as men delight in battles, bullfights, and combats of gladiators, will they punish by hanging, burning, and the rack.
cute dollars use
Every writer, by the way he uses the language, reveals something of his spirit, his habits, his capacities, his bias....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, ready and able.
loud pronunciation knows
If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!
language colorless assertion
Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language.
air views demand
To air one's views gratuitously, is to imply that the demand for them is brisk.
air quotation-marks attention
If you use a colloquialism or a slang word or phrase, simply use it; do not draw attention to it by enclosing it in quotation marks. To do so is to put on airs, as though you were inviting the reader to join you in a select society of those who know better.
writing interesting announcing
Instead of announcing what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so.
details attention matter
The surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definitive, and concrete. The greatest writers - Homer, Dante, Shakespeare - are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report the details that matter. Their words call up pictures.