Elements of Style: All You Really Need to Know

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Love it or hate it, Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style continues to be the most widely read English style manual. The 50th anniversary edition doesn’t hit Amazon until April 19 and already it’s #31 on the site’s bestseller list.

Personally I don’t have much use for it as a grammar guide. But there is some good advice for the novice writer that bears repeating.

1. Use the active voice. Which is stronger: “There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground” or “Dead leaves covered the ground”? Active is more forceful and direct, always better in my book.
2. Use definite, specific, concrete language. Vague and general make for boring writing. Vivid details paint pictures in the minds of readers.
3. Omit needless words. It sounds pretty obvious, but examples of unnecessary padding are everywhere. You’d think all writers were being paid by the word.
4. Revise and rewrite. This can be particularly tough for those who don’t consider themselves to be writers. Hard enough to crank out that first draft, but then have to go back and rework it? Jeez! But any writer will tell you that good writing comes out of ruthless, diligent editing.
5. Avoid fancy words. Don’t use a ten-dollar word when a nickel will do. That goes for jargon, technical language, anything that stands in the way of clarity.
6. Be clear. OK, I roll my eyes at this one, but how many would-be writers overlook the obvious? As the authors write, “… since writing is communication, clarity can only be a virtue.” Be virtuous. Be clear.

Beyond that, you might want to save your money. Pick up a copy of Anne Lamott‘s Bird by Bird instead. Now there’s writing that teaches and inspires.

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Tagged as: clarity, communication, elements of style, grammar, language, strunk and white, style guide, writing