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Saturday, 02.04.2012 |
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| The Elements of Style |
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Product Details
Notes
ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction,
use a comma after each term except the last.
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
5. Do not join independent clauses with a comma.
6. Do not break sentences in two.
7. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars,
an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.
8. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption
and to announce a long appositive or summary.
9. The number of the subject determines the number of the verb.
10. Use the proper case of pronoun.
11. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence
must refer to the grammatical subject.
ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION
12. Choose a suitable design and hold to it.
13. Make the paragraph the unit of composition.
14. Use the active voice.
15. Put statements in positive form.
16. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
17. Omit needless words.
18. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
19. Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
20. Keep related words together.
21. In summaries, keep to one tense.
22. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.
A FEW MATTERS OF FORM
don't put a colloquialism in quotes
don't try to emphasize a simple statement with an exclamation mark
leave space at the top of page 1
omit the period after a title or heading
use a hyphen to combine two or more words in a compound adjective
don't use a hyphen between words that can be combined as one word
keep righthand and lefthand margins the same width
don't spell out dates or numbers except in dialogue
punctuate outside the parentheses in general
omit punctuation in parentheses unless it's a question mark or exclamation point
put the comma inside quotation marks
when quoting a large section, indent the whole thing and don't use quotes
don't use quotes for quotations introduced by the word, "that"
use footnotes in scholarly work to reference the full titles at the end
divide words between syllables at the end of a line
use italics and capitalized initials for titles of literary works
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED
"aggravate" means to add on to trouble, "irritate" means to annoy
"all right" should be written as two words
you "allude" to a book, but you "elude" a pursuer
an "allusion" is an indirect reference, an "illusion" is a false impression
"alternate" means every other one, "alternative" means another choice
use "among" for a group, "between" if each person is considered individually
"and/or" is often an ambiguous shortcut
use "expect" instead of "anticipate" if it's a simple expectation
"anybody" is one word, same with "everybody" and "nobody"
"anyone" is one word, meaning any single person or thing
rewrite sentences that use the phrase, "as good or better than"
replace "as to whether" with just "whether"
replace "as yet" with just "yet"
don't use the word "being" after the phrase "regarded as"
don't use the word "but" after "doubt" or "help"
"can" means you are able, don't use it as a substitute for "may"
"I couldn't care less" is correct, not "I could care less"
omit the phrase, "in many cases"
don't use "certainly" to try to make a statement stronger
don't use an adjective, then "character", just use the adjective directly
don't use "claim" to replace "declare" or "maintain"
a "clever" horse means a good-natured one, not a smart one
"compare to" points out similarities, "compare with" points out differences
"comprise" means embrace, or include, the opposite is "constitute"
don't follow "consider" with "as"
"contact" as a verb is vague, be more specific about the method of contact
use the verb "cope" as part of the phrase, "cope with"
"currently" is vague, specify the exact time
"data" is generally plural, but it's gaining acceptance as singular
watch out for "different than" vs. "different from" or "other than"
"disinterested" means impartial, it's different than "uninterested"
"divided into" is different than "composed of"
"due to" means "because of" or "owing to" or "attributable to"
avoid "each and every one" except in dialogue
"effect" as a verb means to bring about, "affect" means to influence
"enormity" means a "monstrous wickedness", not just big
don't use "enthuse" as a verb, find a way to use the noun or adjective
"etc" means "and other things" which is generally too vague
use the word "fact" only if it can be directly verified as a true fact
don't use the word "facility" if a more specific building name is available
don't use the word "factor" if a more specific characteristic can be named
"farther" is a measure of distance, "further" is a measure of time or quantity
don't use the word "feature" if a more specific word is available
avoid the verb "finalize"
"fix" means to make firm, more than just arrange, prepare or mend
"flammable" is technically wrong, "inflammable" means combustible
"folk" means people, don't use "folks"
"fortuitous" means what happens by chance, it doesn't mean lucky or fortunate
don't use "have got" for "have", or "have gotten" for "have got"
"gratuitous" means unearned or unwarranted
don't use the redundant phrase, "he is a man who"
"hopefully" is ambiguous now, it's supposed to mean "with hope"
don't start sentences with the word "however", use "nevertheless" instead
"however" really means "in whatever way" or "to whatever extent"
"imply" means to suggest or indicate, "infer" means to deduce from evidence
rewrite to avoid the word "importantly" or the phrase "more importantly"
use either "in regard to" or "as regards" but not "in regards to"
avoid the phrase, "in the last analysis"
the phrase "inside of" means "in less than"
"insightful" should only be used for remarkably perceptive vision
cut the phrase "in terms of"
avoid the words "funny" and "interesting", let the story show it
"irregardless" should be "regardless"
don't create verbs by adding "-ize"
"kind of" means "type of" not "rather" or "something like", same for "sort of"
don't use "lay" in place of the word "lie"
don't use "leave" in place of the word "let"
"less" refers to quantity, "fewer" refers to number
don't use "like" in place of the word "as"
avoid the phrase, "along these lines"
don't use "literal" or "literally" to support exaggeration
use "loan" as a noun, if it's a verb, use "lend" instead
rewrite to avoid the word "meaningful"
spell "memento" correctly, not as "momento"
don't use "most" in place of the word "almost"
don't use "nature" in place of the word "character"
"nauseous" means "sickening to contemplate"
"nauseated" means "sick at the stomach"
the word "nice" is too vague, be more specific
don't use "nor" in place of the word "or" unless it's a proper negative expression
don't use a noun as a verb
avoid the words "ongoing" and "offputting", you can't "ongo" or "offput"
don't follow "one" with "his" or "her", follow it with "one's"
avoid the weak phrase, "one of the most"
don't attach "-oriented" to a word, rephrase it
"partially" means "to a certain degree", "partly" is a part distinct from the whole
don't use a present participle in place of a verbal noun
keep the possessive clear and unambiguous
don't confuse "the people" with "the public"
avoid the word "personalize"
avoid the often unnecessary word "personally"
don't overuse "possess" in place of "have" or "own"
"presently" means "in a short while" and "currently", be clear about which
avoid the word "prestigious" except as a last resort
don't use "regretful" in place of "regrettable"
don't use "relate" to suggest rapport
avoid the words "respective" and "respectively"
don't use "secondly" or "thirdly", stick to "second" and "third"
"shall" is the future tense for the first person, "will" for the second and third
use "shall" to express the speaker's belief regarding a future action
use "will" to express determination or consent
don't use "so" as an intensifier
avoid the split infinitive, interposing an adverb between "to" and the infinitive
"state" means to "express fully or clearly", otherwise use "say" or "remark"
don't use "student body" in place of "students"
check sentences with "than" to look for missing words that clarify meaning
avoid the phrase, "thanking you in advance"
"that" is the defining, or restrictive pronoun
"which" is the nondefining, or nonrestrictive pronoun
avoid the cliche, "the foreseeable future"
avoid the phrases, "the truth is" or "the fact is"
don't use "they" if the antecedent is singular like "each" or "everybody"
use "he or she", or eliminate the pronoun altogether
or try to rephrase to use all plural forms, or use second person instead of third
make sure it's clear what "this" refers to
avoid the word "thrust" unless it's really necessary
a winding road is "tortuous", but a painful ordeal is "torturous"
"transpire" means to "become known" not to "happen" or "come to pass"
use "try to" instead of "try and"
don't use "type" in place of "kind of"
"unique" means "without like or equal", don't use "most unique" or "very unique"
use the word "use" instead of "utilize"
"verbal" may mean "word for word" so use "oral" if it's transmitted by speech
avoid the word "very" by choosing a stronger base word
"while" means "during the time that"
don't use "while in place of "and" or "but" or "although"
"-wise" means "in the manner of", don't add it to other words
avoid "worth while" and "worthwhile" since they are weak
"would" expresses habitual or repeated action, try to be more specific
in narrative writing, indicate the transition from general to particular
AN APPROACH TO STYLE
style is an expression of self, it's not a collection of tricks or fancy words
approach style by being sincere and revealing your unique personality
1. Place yourself in the background.
draw attention to the writing, not the writer
let your natural style emerge, rather than trying to look for it
find your style through the act of writing itself
2. Write in a way that comes naturally.
write what comes easily, and don't be afraid of imitation
3. Work from a suitable design.
be conscious of the overall structure, theme, and vision you want to achieve
4. Write with nouns and verbs.
look for strong nouns and verbs to communicate your ideas
minimize your reliance on adjectives and adverbs
5. Revise and rewrite.
be prepared to move large portions of your story to rearrange the order
save copies so that nothing is lost, but make changes and see how they look
6. Do not overwrite.
cut the flowery prose, keep it subtle, tight, and precise
7. Do not overstate.
don't exaggerate, or your readers won't trust anything you write
be clear, honest, and plain
8. Avoid the use of qualifiers.
at the same time, be bold and direct in your statements
don't be wishy-washy, take a stand and say what you think
9. Do not affect a breezy manner.
don't confuse spontaneity with genius, it's more indicative of egotism
don't waste time on words when you have nothing important to say
don't show off in your writing to try to draw attention to yourself as the writer
cut straight to the key action, and focus on the story itself
10. Use orthodox spelling.
don't use slang or shortened spelling in normal composition
11. Do not explain too much.
let dialogue reveal the emotions of the character, don't state them explicitly
12. Do not construct awkward adverbs.
don't add -ly randomly to words
only write words that are used in real speech
13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking.
use enough attributives to keep it clear who is speaking during a long dialogue
but make sure the attributives don't awkwardly interrupt a spoken sentence
place attributives where the break would come naturally in speech
speak dialogue aloud to test that it sounds right
14. Avoid fancy words.
don't be elaborate, pretentious, coy, or cute
choose Anglo-Saxon words over Latin in general
use your ear to determine what sounds right without being too wordy
you can break rules of grammar if your ear tells you it's better
15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good.
only use dialect if you know it well
if you do use dialect, be consistent with the spelling and usage
you may have to spell phonetically to capture unusual inflections
the best dialect writers use it sparingly
16. Be clear.
writing is communication, you want the reader to understand your words
when a sentence gets too confusing, try starting from scratch instead of fixing it
often the construction of the sentence is too complicated
break it apart and try writing the idea in two or more sentences
misunderstandings come from ambiguity and lack of clarity, so be clear!
17. Do not inject opinion.
if you write your opinion, you assume that someone cares about it
it marks you as an egotist
be clear about what is needed in your writing, and don't add anything extra
18. Use figures of speech sparingly.
don't overuse similes or use mixed metaphors, keep it subtle
19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity.
write out acronyms unless you're sure the initials will be understood
if you use initials, spell it out the first time at least, then use the shortcut later
20. Avoid foreign languages.
don't sprinkle in foreign expressions unless it's really necessary
21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat.
avoid eccentricities in language, new vocabulary or slang that sounds cool
remember that youthful slang may become dated very quickly
so any attempt to be cool and modern might later sound stupid and cheesy
words and phrases that work in conversation may falter in writing
advertisers and businesspeople will often misuse language in their field
other areas include law, military, and government
usually fancy words are actually vague and less precise in their meaning
break the rules on purpose, not be accident
writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar |
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