... men. The samples
were then frozen and stored in a stainless
steel tank.
In the lefthand version ofthe first example, the reader has no way of knowing whether the
stain was inthe center ofthe ... disregard therulesof rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader
will usually find inthe sentence some compensating merit, attained at the cost ofthe
violation. Unless he is certain of doing ...
Punctuate as indicated below.
in the second scene ofthe third act in III.ii (Better still, simply insert m.ii in
parentheses at the proper place inthe
sentence.)
After the killing of Polonius,...
... 5-6
indirect discourse, tense in 31
indirect object 89
infer
vs.
imply
49
infinitive
split 58, 78
inside of
49
insightful
50
interesting
, 50
95
For more material and information, ...
sparing use of 20
writing
benefits of 70
difficulties with 69
ear for 77-78
principles of 15-33
style of 66-85
yet
41
you
vs.
yourself
12
109
For more material and information, ... punctuation of 3
illusion
vs.
allusion
40
imitation, inwriting 70
imply
vs.
infer
49
importantly
, misuse of 49
in addition to
, subjects joined by 10
in
regard to
49
in terms of
50
in...
... hear
the beat of new vocabularies, the exciting rhythms of special segments of their society,
each speaking a language of its own. All of us come under the spell of these unsettling
drums; the ...
both, and; either, or; neither, nor
) join the same kinds of
elements.
contraction A shortened form of a word or group of words:
can't
for cannot;
they're
for they
are.
correlative ... www.tailieuduhoc.org
infinitive/split infinitive Inthe present tense, a verb phrase consisting of
to
followed by the
base form ofthe verb (
to write
). A split infinitive occurs when one or more words separate
to
and the...
... ofthe writing,
rather than to the mood and temper ofthe author. If thewriting is solid and good, the mood
and temper ofthe writer will eventually be revealed and not at the expense ofthe ... from other minds, other hearts — which is,
of course, the purpose of writing, as well as its principal reward. Fortunately, the act of
composition, or creation, disciplines the mind; writing ... correct, or acceptable, inthe
use of English. In this final chapter, we approach stylein its broader meaning: styleinthe
sense of what is distinguished and distinguishing. Here we leave solid...
...
inside
is correct inthe adverbial meaning " ;in less than."
In other meanings,
of
is unnecessary.
Inside of five minutes I'll be inside the bank.
Insightful.
The word is a suspicious ... unattractive.
Interesting.
An unconvincing word; avoid it as a means of introduction. Instead of
announcing that what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so.
An interesting story is told of ...
prospect ofthe Senate but with a prospect of accepting.
Any sentence in which the use ofthe possessive is awkward or impossible should of
course be recast.
In the event of a reconsideration of the...
... men. The samples
were then frozen and stored in a stainless
steel tank.
In the lefthand version ofthe first example, the reader has no way of knowing whether the
stain was inthe center ofthe ... virtue of
parallel construction.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they ... Bloom, of Rabbit Angstrom have seemed for
the moment real to countless readers, if in reading Faulkner we have almost the sense of
inhabiting Yoknapatawpha County during the decline ofthe South,...
... said in each ofthe following.
Do you mind me asking a question?
Do you mind my asking a question?
In the first sentence, the queried objection is to
me
, as opposed to other members ofthe ... www.tailieuduhoc.org
In these cases the writer must simply learn the idioms. The contents of a book is singular.
The contents of a jar may be either singular or plural, depending on what's inthe jar ... www.tailieuduhoc.org
word the subject ofthe sentence will often, as in these examples, determine which voice is
to be used.
The habitual use ofthe active voice, however, makes for forcible writing. This...
... clear." How often I have turned to them, inthe book or in my mind,
while trying to start or unblock or revise some piece of my own writing! They help — they
really do. They work. They are the way. ... forward, in his
11
For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org
The Elementsof Style
I
Elementary Rulesof Usage
1. Form the possessive singular ... sympathy for
the reader. Will felt that the reader was in serious trouble most ofthe time, floundering in a
swamp, and that it was the duty of anyone attempting to write English to drain this...
... by
Cummings.
In some kinds of formal writing, as in geometrical proofs, it may be necessary to
use respectively, but it should not appear inwriting on ordinary subjects.
So. Avoid, in writing, the ... headstrong
He opened the letter, read it and made a note of its
contents.
This is also the usage ofthe Government Printing Of ce and ofthe Oxford University
Press.
In the names of business firms the last ... principal
requirements of plain English style. It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student
by concentrating attention (in Chapters II and III) on a few essentials, therulesof usage
and principles of...
... di
sr
egard therulesof rhetoric.
When
they do so,
however, the r
ead
er will usually find inthe sente
nce
some comp
ensat-
ing m
erit
, attained at the cost ofthe violation. Unl
ess
he is certain of
doing ... alt=""
THE
ELEMENTS
OF
STYLE
9.
The
number
of
the
subject
determines
th
e
numb
er
of
th
e
ve
rb.
Words that intervene b
etw
een sub
jec
t
and
v
erb
do not affec t the
n
umb
er
of the v
erb
.
The ... sympathy forthe r
eader
. Will felt
that
the
r
ead
er was in serious
trouble most ofthe time, floundering in a swamp,
and
that
it was the
duty of anyone att
emptin
g to write English to
drain
this...
... noise—a
grinding, chat-
tering, teeth-gritting rasp.
The increasing reluctance ofthe sun
to
rise,
the extra
nip
in
the breeze, the
patter
of shed leaves
dropping—all
the evidences of
fall
... piece of my own writing! They
help—they
really do. They work. They are the way.
E.
B.
White
s prose is celebrated for its ease and
clarity—
just think of Charlotte's
Web—but
maintaining ... which the writer will
bring
the flesh and the blood. The more clearly the writer
perceives
the shape, the
better
are the chances of
success.
13.
Make the paragraph the unit of composition.
The...
... exception of Section XVII—"Outlines forthe Study of Pathogenic
Bacteria"—introduced with the idea of completing the volume from the point of view
of the medical and dental student, the ... used inthe final sterilisation of apparatus, chiefly on
account ofthe difficulty of effecting their complete removal, forthe presence of even
traces of these chemicals is sufficient to so inhibit ...
dipping them in ether and after removal lighting the adherent fluid and allowing it to
burn off the surface ofthe instruments. Repeat the process twice. It may then be safely
assumed that the...
... co-author ofElementsof Java Style.
Andrew Gray is Director of Engineering for IntelliChem, a lead-
ing provider of software solutions for scientists. He was previ-
ously Software Engineering Manager ... working in teams where consistency is critical. Just as Strunk
and White’s TheElementsofStyle provides rulesof usage for writ-
ing intheEnglish language, this text furnishes a set ofrules ... a long line cannot be shortened under the preceding
guidelines, then break, wrap, and indent that line using the
following rules.
Step one:
If the top-level expression on the line contains one...