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Complete all of exercises 17-21. The workbook is attached.
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ii
Table of Contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………….. v
The Secrets of Style ………………………………………………………………………………… vii
The Steps to Improve One’s Style ………………………………………………………………. ix
The Elements of Style Original Introduction …………………………………………………. x
I. Elementary Rules of Usage…………………………………………1
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s. ………………………………….. 1
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma
after each term except the last. …………………………………………………………………. 3
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas. ………………………………….. 4
4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause. ……. 9
5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma. ………………………………………… 13
6. Do not break sentences in two. …………………………………………………………….. 15
7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the
grammatical subject. ………………………………………………………………………………. 18
II. Elementary Principles of Composition……………………21
8. Write with varied sentence lengths. ………………………………………………………. 21
9. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic. . 30
10. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity
with the beginning. …………………………………………………………………………………. 35
11. Write with a purpose. ………………………………………………………………………… 44
12. Use the active voice. ………………………………………………………………………….. 72
13. Put statements in positive form. …………………………………………………………. 76
14. Use definite, specific, concrete language. …………………………………………….. 78
15. Omit needless words. ………………………………………………………………………… 81
16. Avoid a succession of loose sentences. ………………………………………………… 84
iii
17. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form. …………………………………………….. 88
18. Keep related words together. ……………………………………………………………… 92
19. In summaries, keep to one tense. ………………………………………………………… 96
20. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end. …………………………….. 102
III. The Secrets of Style……………………………………………..109
21. Imitating the Masters of Literature ……………………………………………………. 109
22. Writing Dialogue with Style ………………………………………………………………. 155
23. Shifting Style at Will …………………………………………………………………………. 163
Appendices……………………………………………………………….181
Appendix A: The Elements of Style Checklist …………………………………………….. 183
Appendix B: Supporting Material for Exercise 21.1. …………………………………… 185
Appendix C: Supporting Material for Exercise 21.9. …………………………………… 186
Appendix D: Supporting Material for Exercise 21.11. …………………………………. 187
Appendix E: Answer Key ………………………………………………………………………… 190
iv
Introduction
The Elements of Style remains one of the most widely referenced English writing guides
available. Originally published in 1920, nearly 100 years ago, it has withstood the test of
time, having helped countless writers improve their writing in the century since its
publication. Until now, this valuable resource has only been available as a pocket
reference, leaving students and aspiring authors without the pen-to-paper practice
essential in order to master the art of writing with style. With exercises included, this
workbook version of The Elements of Style solves this problem.
In the original introduction to The Elements of Style, William Strunk wrote:
After [a student] has learned . . . to write plain English adequate for everyday uses,
let him look, for the secrets of style, to the study of the masters of literature.
Along with the opportunity to practice the elementary rules of usage and elementary
principles of composition presented in Strunk’s original text, this updated and expanded
version of The Elements of Style provides students with a process to study the literary
works of the masters of literature, enabling novice writers to uncover the secrets of style.
Through this process, students can also develop their own unique writing styles and
cultivate the skills necessary to modify their writing styles to suit the subject, the audience,
and the purpose of their writing.
In the “Secrets of Style” chapter, students analyze and imitate the writing styles of:
Ralph Waldo Emerson
George MacDonald
Mark Twain
Charles Dickens
William Shakespeare
Patrick Henry
Victor Hugo
Susan Glaspell
Jane Austen
And more . . .
In creating this text, the original chapters on form, commonly misused words and
expressions, and spelling have been omitted. These standards have changed a bit in the
last century. In modern high schools, colleges, and universities, students are typically
required to adhere to AP, APA, MLA, or other formatting styles, each of which has its own
rules for the proper formatting of written work. For that reason, students are encouraged
to seek guidance from their instructors on the appropriate formatting guidelines for their
written assignments. In regard to commonly misused and misspelled words, the
technological advancements in and the availability of smartphones, computers, and other
internet-access devices give students instant access to definitions and spelling, rendering
the original versions of these lessons less necessary in the modern world.
v
To compile this workbook edition of The Elements of Style, various public-domain texts
were referenced. The sources selected for this workbook were specifically chosen because
they reinforce the lessons in The Elements of Style. For a list of sources, see the reference
list on page 201.
Answer Key Included
When appropriate, answers for exercises are located in Appendix E. In some instances the
answers provided are examples because the answers will vary.
vi
The Secrets of Style
Adapted from The Writer’s Book by James Reeve
Whole volumes have been written on style, but the heart of the matter is this: There are
two elements in literature, the technical and the non-technical. The technical elements are
those that deal with words, sentences, paragraphs, and the theory of the art. The nontechnical element in literature is what some deem the secret of style. The secret of style is
the hidden presence uniquely manifested in every author’s work. The author Buffon has
gone so far as to define this presence as the personality of the writer—The style is the
man. Consequently style, in its ultimate essence, is the literary expression of the author’s
tastes, philosophy, and outlook on life.
With Buffon’s definition in mind, an unknown author presented the question:
If the style is the person, how can one hope to equal that style if one can never
come near the person?
The author then gave the following answer:
Be true to all you know, and see, and feel; live with the masters, and catch their
spirit. You will then develop your own style.
To elaborate on that answer, to live with the masters, one must read the work of the
masters; however, to catch the spirit or style of their writing, one must study and seek to
emulate them. To study and learn from them, students must analyze not only the technical
aspects of their writing, but the non-technical as well. By studying the style of the literary
masters, students learn that the addition of a word, the omission of a phrase, or the
inversion of a clause can create or alter an author’s style by impacting the movement, the
intensity, the emphasis, and the emotions of the author’s writing. To give practice in this
study of style, the final section of this text uncovers the secrets of style through the study
of the literary masters.
In this workbook, the style imitation process is not meant to encourage students to acquire
the style of other authors; instead, it is to help students learn to analyze the writing of
others and to help students gain exposure to a variety of writing styles. As students engage
in this process of analyzing and imitating other styles, students will achieve greater
understanding of what a “good” writing style is and will gain greater writing flexibility,
leading to the growth and enhancement of their own unique writing style and the ability to
shift style at will.
vii
To give you greater understanding of the style analysis and imitation process in this text,
Benjamin Franklin’s method, which provides the framework for this approach, is included
below.
Benjamin Franklin’s Method
In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin explains his process of studying what he perceived
to be excellent writing to develop his own writing skills:
About this time I met with an odd volume of The Spectator. It was the third. I had
never before seen any of them. I bought it, read it over and over, and was much
delighted with it. I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it.
With this in view I took some of the papers, and making short hints of the
sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then without looking at the
book, tried to complete the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at
length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should
come to hand.
Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults and
corrected them. But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting
and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had gone
on making verses . . . . Therefore I took some of the tales and turned them into verse;
and after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again.
By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and
amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain
particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the
language, and this encouraged me to think I might possibly in time come to be a
tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious.
Before beginning the style exercises, there are a few suggestions or guidelines that, when
followed, will aid students in the successful completion of the style writing exercises. These
suggestions, listed on the following page, include general as well as specific guidelines that
will help students learn to communicate more effectively.
viii
The Steps to Improve One’s Style
Adapted from Lectures on Rhetoric by Hugh Blair
1. Understand your subject. Develop clear ideas of the subject on which you are to write
or speak. What we conceive clearly and feel strongly, we naturally express with clarity and
strength.
2. Write frequently and with care. Frequency of composing is indispensably necessary. But
it is not every kind of composition that will improve style. By a careless and hasty habit of
writing, a bad style will be acquired. In the beginning, therefore, we ought to write slowly
and with much care. Facility and speed are the fruit of experience.
3. Read and study the works of the best authors. No exercise, perhaps, is more useful for
acquiring a proper style than translating a passage from an eminent author into our own
words, and then comparing what we have written with the style of the author. This type of
exercise highlights our defects, teaches us to correct them, and, through the variety of
expression, moves us toward more beautiful writing.
4. Be Yourself. Be Natural. Caution must be used against servile imitation of any author.
Mindless imitation hampers genius, and generally produces stiffness of expression. They
who copy an author too closely commonly copy that author’s faults as well as that author’s
beauties.
5. Always adapt your style to the subject and to your audience. When we are to write or
to speak, we should fix in our minds a clear idea of our audience and our purpose. Discuss
your subject with appropriate word choice, and use words that your audience
understands.
6. Write with simplicity and clarity. Never leave your meaning in doubt, and always seek
the expression that is most vigorous. To achieve clarity, authors should use simpler words,
fewer words, and fewer figures of speech.
7. Familiarize yourself with proper grammar.
8. Revise once and again. And still again.
ix
The Elements of Style Original Introduction
This book aims to give in brief space the 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, the rules of usage and principles of composition most
commonly violated. In accordance with this plan it lays down three rules for the use of the
comma, instead of a score or more, and one for the use of the semicolon, in the belief that
these four rules provide for all the internal punctuation that is required by nineteen
sentences out of twenty. Similarly, it gives in Chapter III only those principles of the
paragraph and the sentence which are of the widest application. The book thus covers only
a small portion of the field of English style. The experience of its writer has been that once
past the essentials, students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of
their own work, and that each instructor has his or her own body of theory, which may be
preferred to that offered by any textbook.
The numbers of the sections may be used as references in correcting manuscript.
The writer’s colleagues in the Department of English in Cornell University have greatly
helped him in the preparation of his manuscript. Mr. George McLane Wood has kindly
consented to the inclusion under Rule 10 of some material from his Suggestions to
Authors.
The following books are recommended for reference or further study: in connection with
Chapters II and IV, F. Howard Collins, Author and Printer (Henry Frowde); Chicago
University Press, Manual of Style; T. L. De Vinne, Correct Composition (The Century
Company); Horace Hart, Rules for Compositors and Printers (Oxford University Press);
George McLane Wood, Extracts from the Style-Book of the Government Printing Office
(United States Geological Survey); in connection with Chapters III and V, The King’s English
(Oxford University Press); Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, The Art of Writing (Putnam), especially
the chapter, Interlude on Jargon; George McLane Wood, Suggestions to Authors (United
States Geological Survey); John Lesslie Hall, English Usage (Scott, Foresman and Co.);
James P. Kelley, Workmanship in Words (Little, Brown and Co.). In these will be found full
discussions of many points here briefly treated and an abundant store of illustrations to
supplement those given in this book.
It is an old observation that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of rhetoric.
When they do so, however, the reader will usually find in the sentence some
compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of doing as
well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned, by their guidance,
to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look, for the secrets of style, to
the study of the masters of literature.
x
I. Elementary Rules of Usage
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s.
A possessive noun modifies another noun, expressed or understood. Follow this rule
whatever the final consonant. Thus write,
Charles’s friend
Burns’s poems
the witch’s malice
Percy’s store
I love to shop at Percy’s.
Exceptions are the possessive of ancient proper names ending in -es and -is, the possessive
Jesus’, and such forms as for conscience’ sake, for righteousness’ sake. But such forms as
Achilles’ heel, Moses’ laws, Isis’ temple are commonly replaced by
the heel of Achilles
the laws of Moses
the temple of Isis
The possessive plural is formed by
1) adding the apostrophe and -s if the noun does not end in -s,
the children’s books
the oxen’s yokes
2) adding the apostrophe alone if the noun does end in s.
the girls’ league
the boys’ club
The pronominal possessives (possessive pronouns) hers, its, theirs, yours, and ours have no
apostrophe.
Note: It is common for many to confuse the following pronouns, possessives, and
contractions.
it
its
it’s
(it is)
your
yours
you’re
(you are)
who
whose
who’s
(who is)
Its is the possessive form of it.
Yours is the possessive form of your.
Whose is the possessive form of who.
1
EXERCISE 1.1: Possessives
Write sentences using the possessive of each of the following.
1. boys
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. children
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Charles
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. team
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. hair
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. its, the contraction it’s in one sentence
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7. yours, the contraction you’re, and your in one or two sentences
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8. whose, the contraction who’s, and who in one or two sentences
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a
comma after each term except the last.
Thus write,
red, white, and blue
gold, silver, or copper
He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.
This final comma before the conjunction, called the serial comma, adds clarity.
For breakfast, he had eggs, toast, and orange juice.
confusing
clear
He ate cake, cookies, raisins and chocolate chip muffins.
He ate cake, cookies, raisins, and chocolate chip muffins.
In the names of business firms the last comma is omitted, as,
Brown, Shipley & Co.
EXERCISE 2.1: Serial commas
Write five sentences with serial commas.
1. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot.
This rule is difficult to apply; it is frequently hard to decide whether a single word, such as
however, or a brief phrase is or is not parenthetic. If the interruption to the flow of the
sentence is but slight, the writer may safely omit the commas. But whether the
interruption be slight or considerable, never insert one comma and omit the other. Such
punctuation as written below is indefensible.
incorrect
incorrect
Marjorie’s husband, Colonel Nelson paid us a visit yesterday.
My brother you will be pleased to hear, is now in perfect health.
Always to be regarded as parenthetic and to be enclosed between commas are the
following:
the year, when forming part of a date;
February to July, 2016
April 6, 2017
the day of the month, when following the day of the week;
Monday, November 11, 1998
the abbreviations etc. and Jr.
Lessons 21, 22, etc., are to be omitted.
Nonrestrictive relative clauses are those clauses that do not serve to identify the preceding
noun. These clauses are enclosed between commas.
The audience, which had at first been indifferent, became more and more
interested.
In this sentence the clause introduced by which does not identify which of any number of
possible audiences is meant. The sentence is virtually a combination of two statements
that might have been made independently.
The audience had at first been indifferent.
The audience became more and more interested.
Restrictive clauses, clauses that restrict or limit, are not set off by commas. They are
needed to make the meaning of the sentence clear.
The candidate who best meets these requirements will be hired.
4
Here the clause introduced by who tells which type of any number of possible candidates is
meant. The clause tells that only the candidate who best meets these requirements is the
candidate who will be hired.
Similar clauses introduced by where and when are similarly punctuated.
Nether Stowey, where Coleridge wrote The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, is a few
miles from Bridgewater.
Nether Stowey is completely identified by its name; the statement about Coleridge is
therefore supplementary and parenthetic—nonrestrictive.
The day will come when you will admit your mistake.
The day is identified only by the dependent clause, which is therefore restrictive.
EXERCISE 3.1: Commas
Place commas where they belong in the following sentences.
1. The old man who slowly lifted his head saw us on the bank of the stream.
2. The diamond which is pure carbon is produced by intense heat and under great
pressure.
3. Jeff who my sister is dating is a rocket scientist.
4. The man who set the fire has not been found.
5. He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day.
6. The Greek philosopher Diogenes sought in vain for an honest man.
7. Peter the Hermit preached the first crusade.
8. George Washington the first president of the U. S. was first in war, first in peace,
and first in the hearts of his countrymen.
5
EXERCISE 3.2: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses
Compose six sentences. Write three with a restrictive clause (no commas) and three
with a nonrestrictive clause (with commas).
1. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6
When phrases and dependent clauses precede the main clause of a sentence, they are also
set off by commas.
When you send for him, he will come.
Partly by hard fighting, partly by diplomatic skill, they enlarged their dominions to
the east and rose to royal rank with the possession of Sicily, exchanged afterwards for
Sardinia.
Entering the house, he found it empty and forlorn.
EXERCISE 3.3: Commas
Add commas to the following sentences.
1. If you wish to talk I will be home this evening.
2. To be completely honest I am wearied by his behavior.
3. In spite of all difficulties they resolved to make an attempt at mediation.
4. While the world lasts fashion will continue to lead it by the nose.
5. As my heart was subdued by all I heard I fell down at her feet.
6. Because we wanted to see the country we traveled slowly.
7. When spring comes the flowers bloom.
7
EXERCISE 3.4: Introductory Elements
Compose six sentences with introductory elements. Punctuate properly.
1. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8
4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent
clause.
A clause is a collection of words with both a subject and a verb. There are two types of
clauses: independent, or main, and dependent, or subordinate. An independent clause can
stand alone. A dependent clause requires conjoining with an independent clause to form a
complete sentence. The sentence below is composed of two independent clauses,
punctuated with a comma and joined by a coordinating conjunction.
Susan loves her trips to the mountains, but she does not get to go often.
Clauses can be joined with a conjunction that shows a relationship between the ideas
contained in the two clauses, such as augmentation, contrast, or cause and effect.
Coordinating conjunctions always come between the two independent clauses and are
preceded by a comma.
Coordinating Conjunctions (a complete list)
for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
Subordinating conjunctions head the dependent clause and travel with that dependent
clause in sentence placement with a mandatory comma following the dependent clause
when the dependent clause begins the sentence. The sentences below are composed of
one dependent and one independent clause, punctuated properly in both instances.
Susan loves her trips to the mountains even though it often rains while she’s there.
Even though it often rains while she’s there, Susan loves her trips to the mountains.
Subordinating Conjunctions (an incomplete list)
cause and effect
conditions or
comparisons
because
since
so
for
although
if
since
unless
than
though
as
when, where,
or how
as
after
before
when
while
where
since
Sentences using coordinating conjunctions are called compound sentences, while
sentences using subordinating conjunctions are called complex sentences. The sentence
below is a compound sentence.
9
The early records of the city have disappeared, and the story of its first years can
no longer be reconstructed.
Sentences of this type, isolated from their context, may appear as if they need to be
rewritten. Because the sentence makes complete sense when the comma is reached, the
second clause can have the appearance of being an afterthought. Further, and is the least
specific of connectives. Used between independent clauses, it indicates only that a relation
exists between them without defining that relation. In the example above, the actual
relation is that of cause and result.
The sentence might be rewritten into a complex sentence creating greater clarity in
regards to the relationship between to the two clauses.
As the early records of the city have disappeared, the story of its first years can no
longer be reconstructed.
Because the early records of the city have disappeared, the story of its first years
can no longer be reconstructed.
In the above example sentence, the idea that the city’s early story can no longer be
reconstructed is the dominant point, so placing that idea in an independent clause while
subordinating the other clause helps highlight the dominance of that idea in the sentence
for the reader.
Consider the following compound sentence,
The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.
This sentence assigns the ideas in both clauses equal weight. It may also be rewritten as a
complex sentence and made clearer through the use of subordination.
Although the situation is perilous, there is still one chance of escape.
Or the subordinate clauses might be replaced by phrases, which always terminate with a
comma when they precede the main clause:
Owing to the disappearance of the early records of the city, the story of its first
years can no longer be reconstructed.
In this perilous situation, there is still one chance of escape.
10
EXERCISE 4.1: Conjunctions
Combine the following pairs of sentences in two ways—first using a coordinating
conjunction and second using a subordinating conjunction.
1. They are determined to have their own way.
They know they will suffer for their willfulness.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. I cannot go to the circus.
I have no money.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. He cannot go to the circus.
No one gave him a ticket.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. He walks slowly.
He is very tired.
__________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
