Books like strunk and white

Helpful writing habits from strunk and white ragan. A summary of the elements of style by strunk and white. Strunk and white is wellknown but all ive read is that is good but dated. The elements of style edition 4 by william strunk, e. This muchloved classic, now in its fourth edition, will forever be the goto guide when in need of a hint to make a turn of phrase clearer or a reminder. A handbook for the new academic essay 1999, urge young writers to say goodbye to traditional grammar, organization, and objectivity. Mark garvey relates the history of the book in stylized. There are books you like, there are books you love, and there are books. This book is intended for use in english courses in which the practice of. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. The unexpected harmony and partnership of strunk and whites have fulfilled their central claim successfully, namely clarity of writing still comes from concision and precision. Cornell university professor of english william strunk, jr.

The book is the element of style by william strunk, jr. Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a musthave for any student and conscientious writer. The elements of style paperback september 19, 2016. Little book as style is first called even through revisions it remains little in size, but its impact and challenge have grown to be undeniable in many excellent writings. This is the first edition from 1918 created by strunk alone, before strunk s revision and reprinting in 1920, and before the revised editions by e. What are recommendations for other similarly good books on english grammar and style. And since the number of books written about reading and writing likely far. About this title may belong to another edition of this title. White was a student in professor strunk s class at cornell, and used the small volume himself, during which time he became respectful and appreciative of its pithy and. White, the elements of style does indeed contain rich deposits of gold. In 2011, time magazine listed the writing styleguide as one of the 100 best and most influential books written in english since 1923. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Reading the little book is almost like sitting in an elementary english class, which seems to be how the authors intended it. 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.

This 2005 revision takes nothing away from the book, but reconsiders the original from a. First written by professor will strunk as a summation of english usage, composition, and form with words and expressions commonly misused, and later polished, expanded and transformed into a classic reference book thirtyeight years later by strunks student, e. It looks like someone found the text of the original elements of style online. In a sense, the book was his own personal style guide. It is one of the most influential and bestknown prescriptive treatments of english grammar and usage in the.

But, as white remembered strunk, he felt it was worse to be irresolute than to be wrong. Gary hoffman and glynis hoffman, authors of adios, strunk and white. I already own strunk and whites the elements of style. As you may recall, white was the author of the classic, stuart little. Which are the common wellrespected and go to books on grammar and style for you. The elements of style by william strunk free ebook. By the way, the work does have a picture book edition, if that helps. Whether you love it or hate it, the elements can spark helpful habits as long you regard it as a set of recommendations of the right tool to use, rather than a book of leviticus handed down from on high, to be obeyed lest one risk the wrath of jehovah. The elements of style wikisource, the free online library. Steven pinkers the sense of style looked pretty biased and the author is not very known to be accurate. If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through.

White and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. White wrote this introduction for the 1979 edition. Nowadays, of course, there are computer programs that have replaced most grammar and punctuation books, but what computers havent replaced, and what this book also seeks to address, is the question of style. The book s mantra, make every word tell, is still on point.

Among his bestknown and most widely used books is the elements of style 1959, a guide to grammar and rhetoric based on a text written by one of his professors at cornell, william strunk, which white revised and expanded. Strunk and white waded through the totality of our vast and complicated language and boiled it down to a terse 105 pages, including a glossary and index. William strunk taught english at cornell and wrote the first version of the bookwhich was only 43 pagesfor his english students at cornell. No 23 the elements of style by william strunk and eb white 1959. The elements of style illustrated by william strunk, jr. Every english writer knows strunk and white s the elements of style. White was married to katherine angell, the first fiction editor of the new yorker. The elements of style 9780024182203 by william strunk, jr e. In 1769, when napoleon was born, corsica had but recently been acquired by france.

It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention in chapters ii and iii on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of. Similar clauses introduced by where and when are similarly punctuated. Writings from the new yorker, 19251976 1990, edited by rebecca m. The book was known on the campus in those days as the little book, with the stress on the word little. You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story.

White was a student in professor strunk s class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. I like that the author takes the foundation set by such books as strunk and white s elements of style, and gives it a through examination, with while i did get the sense the that author found himself very witty, and humourous most of that fell flat for me or really dragged on the pace of the message, there were still some helpful tips. White i have used this book faithfully since high school. White was a student in professor strunks class at cornell, and used the little book for himself. Books like the elements of style by william strunk jr. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Nearly one hundred years old, this book was originally written by william strunk, who was e. The only style manual to ever appear on a bestseller list now refreshed by one of our most beloved illustrators every english writer knows strunk and white s the elements of style. The elements of style oliver strunk contents foreword ix introduction xiii i. White later wrote the last part of this minimanual. To provide an alternative, here i would like to present my alltime favorite books on writing, covering three distinct topics. Writing down the bones, by natalie goldberg this book was introduced to me about 15 years ago by a magnificent high school. A halfcentury of stupid grammar advice linguist geoffrey pullum wont be celebrating the 50th anniversary of strunk and white s the elements of style.

Hailed for its directness and clever insight, this unorthodox textbook was born from a professors love for the written word and perfected years later by one of his students. Quotes on usage and composition from this book include the oft heard phrases, omit needless words, and use the active voice. After white s essay appeared in 1957, a friend made him a gift of strunk s book, and, white. The elements of style has long been a valued and beloved resource for all writers. He was hired to revise the book for rerelease after strunk died, and he nearly doubled the length of the book with his additions. Intended for use in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature, it gives in brief space the principal requirements of plain. Dale, is a collection of some of whites contributions to the magazine. This muchloved classic, now in its fourth edition, will forever be the goto guide when in need of a hint to make a turn of phrase clearer or a reminder on how to enliven prose with the active voice.