William Strunk
William Strunk
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...
ProfessionTeacher
Date of Birth1 July 1869
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.
writing should-have drawing
A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
stronger vigor made
...when a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.