Other editions of book The Elements of Style

The Elements of Style is an American English writing style guide originally composed by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920, comprising eight elementary rules of usage, 10 elementary principles of composition, a few matters of form, a list of 49 words and expressions commonly misused, and a list of 57 words often misspelled. William Strunk concentrated on specific questions of usage, and the cultivation of good writing, with the recommendation "Make every word tell".

The book covers only a small portion of the field of English style, but 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 own body of theory, which he prefers to that offered by any textbook. 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 11 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.

The Elements of Style is a guide to writing American English written in 1918 by Cornell University English professor William Strunk, Jr. for use in the university. It was published by Harcourt in 1920 and became an indispensable tool for writers of all stripes. It consists of “eight ‘elementary rules of usage’, ten ‘elementary principles of composition’, ’a few matters of form’, a list of 49 ‘words and expressions commonly misused’, and a list of 57 ‘words often misspelled’. “ Originally a short 52-page manual, it was eventually revised by New Yorker writer E. B. White, who had studied under Strunk, used the manual, and wrote a feature on Strunk and his dedication to lucid English prose. The revised edition, often referred to as “Strunk & White”, sold over two million copies on release in 1959 and has sold over ten million copies in three editions. This audiobook is a reading of the original 1920 edition. Perhaps the highest praise came from American poet Dorothy Parker once proclaimed, "If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers the second-greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy." (Quotations from Wikipedia)

The Elements of Style is the gold-standard reference for English writing. While its lessons on grammar, composition, spelling, and punctuation remain timeless, a couple of additions provide ample value.Since almost everybody texts and emails more than writes prose, this Updated Classic Edition includes the following two chapters: Elements of Texting StyleElements of Emailing StyleWould you like to know the acronyms used in today's texts? Elements of Style chapter provides ample information on that.The Elements of Emailing Style chapter explains how to write proper out-of-office messages and signatures.

The Elements of Style is an American English writing style guide. It is one of the most influential and best-known prescriptive treatments of English grammar and usage in the United States. It originally detailed eight elementary rules of usage, ten elementary principles of composition, and "a few matters of form" as well as a list of commonly misused words and expressions. Updated editions of the paperback book are often required reading for American high school and college composition classes.