The Elements of Style (第五版)

The

Elements of Style

by

William Strunk, Jr.

Professor of English

Cornell University

Revised

by

John Woldemar Cowan

Copyright ? 2006, 2007, 2008

by John Cowan

Based on the 1918 public domain version

Published on the Internet at

/~cowan/

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5

License

.

1st edition

Contents

I. Introductory

Reviser's introduction

.

Author's introduction

.

II. Elementary Rules of Usage

1. Form the possessive of singular nouns with

's

.

2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma

after each term except the last

.

3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas

.

4. Place a comma before

and

or

but

introducing an independent clause

.

5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma

.

6. Do not break sentences in two

.

7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the

grammatical subject

.

8. Hyphenate words in accordance with dictionaries and spelling- checkers

.

III. Elementary Principles of Composition

9. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic

.

10. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity

with the beginning

11. Use the active voice

.

12. Put statements in positive form

.

13. Omit needless words

.

14. Avoid a succession of loose sentences

.

15. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form

.

16. Keep related words together

.

17. In summaries, keep to one tense

.

18. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end

.

IV. A Few Matters of Form

Headings

.

Numerals

.

Parentheses

.

Dashes

.

Quotations

.

References

.

Titles

.

V. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused

Advice, advise

.

All right

.

Allusion

.

And which, and who

.

As good or better than

.

As to whether

.

Bid

.

But

.

Case

.

Character

.

Compare

.

Continual, continuous

.

Effect, affect

.

Etc

.

Fact

.

Factor, feature

.

Formerly, formally

.

He, he or she, they

.

He is a man who

.

Kind of

.

Lay

.

Less

.

Line, along these lines

.

Literal, literally

.

Most

.

Nature

.

Of

.

One hundred and one

.

One of the most

.

People

.

Phase

.

Possess

.

Respective, respectively

.

So

.

Sort of

.

State

.

System

.

Very

.

While

.

Worthwhile

.

I. Introductory

Reviser's introduction (2006)

This book,

The Elements of Style Revised,

is based on William Strunk's

original

The Elements of Style

.

It is therefore a younger

brother to the well-known

added by E. B. White to the 1958 or later editions of

The Elements of Style

in

writing this book. This book likewise contains neither illustrations nor songs.

My

revisions to the original

are founded on the principle that rules of usage and

style cannot be drawn out of thin air, nor constructed

a priori

according to

acknowledged to be good writers. For a larger work founded on the same

principles and giving much more detailed and up-to-date advice on usage, the

reader is urged to consult the current edition of

Merriam-Webster's Concise

Dictionary of English Usage

, as I have done with both pleasure and profit while

preparing this revision.

I have attempted to remain within the scope of the original. This book,

therefore, is intended as a compendium of helpful advice to novice writers in

freshman composition classes, not a code of general laws of writing for all

works by all writers in all circumstances. Violations of the rules can be found

within the book itself

—

this is neither inconsistent nor hypocritical, as

The

Elements of Style Revised

is not a paper written for a composition class.

In updating Strunk's work from the 19th century to the early 21st century, I

have retained as much of Strunk's spirit and characteristic style as I could. I

have removed the obsolete, the erroneous, and the merely idiosyncratic

(Strunk's arbitrary dislike of

own usage and from the rules laid down in his book. Like White, I have also

added a few points to Chapters

IV

and

V

that seemed to me important enough

to justify their presence, as well as removing Strunk's Chapter VI on spelling. I

have not hesitated to replace Strunk's opinions with contrary ones, though I

was pleasantly surprised to find that many of those I expected to require

changing (strictures against split infinitives and final prepositions, as well as

the preposterous

which/that

rule) did not appear in the 1918 edition at all.

My thanks to all who helped me with this edition, especially those who

published critiques of the original as well as competitors to it. All errors of

course remain my responsibility, and I will be happy to receive corrections at

cowan@

. I obtained the base HTML document from which my work

began at

Douglas Crockford's site

. My special thanks to

Geoffrey Pullum

of the

University of California, Santa Cruz for (quite unintentionally) inspiring me to

perform this work of revision.

Author's introduction (1918)

This book is intended for use in English courses in which the practice of

composition is combined with the study of literature. It 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. The numbers of the sections may be used as references in

correcting manuscript.

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. 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

, Sir Arthur

Quiller-Couch,

The Art of Writing

(Putnams), especially the chapter, Interlude

on Jargon; George McLane Wood,

Suggestions to Authors

(United States

Geological Survey); John Leslie Hall,

English Usage

(Scott, Foresman and

Co.); James P. Kelly,

Workmanship in Words

(Little, Brown and Co.).

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.

II. Elementary Rules of Usage

1. Form the possessive of singular nouns with 's.

Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

Charles's friend

Burns's poems

the witch's malice

Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names in

-es

and

-is,

and the

possessive

Jesus'.

But such forms as

Achilles' heel, Moses' laws, Isis' temple

are commonly replaced by

the heel of Achilles (the Achilles heel, in figurative use)

the laws of Moses

the temple of Isis

The possessive pronouns

hers, its, theirs, yours,

and

oneself

have no

apostrophe.

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

honest, energetic, but headstrong

He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.

In the names of business firms, the usage of the firm should be followed.

The abbreviation

etc

.,

even if only a single term comes before it, is always

preceded by a comma.

Use a semicolon

（分号）

in place of a comma if any of the terms itself contains

a comma.

Among the injured were Emory P. Gray, of Oyster Bay, New York; Norman

Bean of Chicago; and Ignatius Donnelly, the Sage of Nininger.

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 sometimes 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 very slight, the writer may safely omit

the commas. But whether the interruption is slight or considerable, never omit

one comma and leave the other. Such punctuation as

Marjorie's husband, Colonel Nelson paid us a visit yesterday,

or

My brother you will be pleased to hear, is now in perfect health,

is indefensible

（站不住脚的）

.

Non-restrictive relative clauses are, in accordance with this rule, set off by

commas.

The audience, which had at first been indifferent, became more and more

interested.

Similar clauses introduced by

where

and

when

are similarly punctuated.

In 1769, when Napoleon was born, Corsica had only recently been

acquired by France.

Nether Stowey, where Coleridge wrote

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,

is

a few miles from Bridgwater.

In these sentences the clauses introduced by

which, when,

and

where

are

non-restrictive; they do not limit the application of the words on which they

depend, but add, parenthetically, statements supplementing those in the

principal clauses. Each sentence is a combination of two statements which

might have been made independently.

The audience was at first indifferent. Later it became more and more

interested.

Napoleon was born in 1769. At that time Corsica had only recently been

acquired by France.

Coleridge wrote

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

at Nether Stowey.

Nether Stowey is only a few miles from Bridgewater.

Restrictive relative clauses are not set off by commas.

The candidate who best meets these requirements will obtain the place.

In this sentence the relative clause restricts the application of the word

candidate

to a single person. Unlike those above, the sentence cannot be split

into two independent statements.

The abbreviations

etc.

and

Jr.

are always preceded by a comma and, except at

the end of a sentence, followed by one.

Similar in principle to the enclosing of parenthetic expressions between

commas is the setting off by commas of phrases or dependent clauses

preceding or following the main clause of a sentence. The sentences quoted in

this section and under Rules

4

,

5

,

6

,

7

,

16

, and

18

should afford sufficient

guidance.

4. Place a comma before

and

or

but

introducing an independent

clause.

The early records of the city have disappeared, and the story of its first

years can no longer be reconstructed.

The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.

Sentences of this type, isolated from their context, may seem to be in need of

rewriting. As they make complete sense when the comma is reached, the

second clause has the appearance of an after-thought. Furthermore,

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 relation is that of cause and result. The two sentences

might be rewritten:

As the early records of the city have disappeared, the story of its first years

can no longer be reconstructed.

Although the situation is perilous, there is still one chance of escape.

Or the subordinate clauses might be replaced by phrases:

Because of 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.

But a writer may err by making his sentences too uniformly compact and

periodic, and an occasional loose sentence prevents the style from becoming

too formal and gives the reader a certain relief. Consequently, loose sentences

of the type first quoted are common in easy, unstudied writing. But a writer

should be careful not to construct too many sentences after this pattern (see

Rule

14

).

Two-part sentences of which the second member is introduced by

as

(in the

sense of

because

),

for, or, nor,

and

while

(in the sense of

and at the same time

)

likewise require a comma before the conjunction:

But that was short of the mark, for twenty guests were invited.

He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself.

If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase set off by a comma, precedes

the second independent clause, no comma is needed after the conjunction.

The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still

one chance of escape.

For two-part sentences connected by an adverb, see the next section.

5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma.

If two or more clauses, grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction,

are to form a single sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.

Stevenson's romances are entertaining; they are full of exciting

adventures.

It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.

It is of course equally correct to write the above as two sentences each,

replacing the semicolons by periods.

Stevenson's romances are entertaining. They are full of exciting

adventures.

It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.

If a conjunction is inserted, the proper mark is a comma (Rule

4

).

Stevenson's romances are entertaining, for they are full of exciting

adventures.

It is nearly half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark.

Note that if the second clause is preceded by an adverb, such as

accordingly,

besides, then, therefore,

or

thus,

and not by a conjunction, the semicolon is still

required:

At that moment they heard a door slam; then feet came running along the

passage.

There's five to one; besides, they all are fresh.

When the second clause begins with

so

, use a semicolon or a comma:

I had never been in the place before, so I had difficulty in finding my way

about.

An alternative that is usually serviceable, and always requires a comma, is to

omit the word

so

and begin the first clause with

as:

As I had never been in the place before, I had difficulty in finding my way

about.

If the clauses are very short, and are alike in form, a comma is usually

permissible:

Man proposes, God disposes.

The gate swung apart, the bridge fell, the portcullis was drawn up.

Use a colon if the second clause illustrates or explains the first:

The fireworks were by Gandalf: they were not only brought by him, but

designed and made by him.

6. Do not break sentences in two.

In other words, do not use periods instead of commas.

I met them on a Cunard liner several years ago. Coming home from

Liverpool to New York.

She was an interesting talker. A woman who had traveled all over the

world, and lived in half a dozen countries.

In both these examples, the first period should be replaced by a comma, and

the following word begun with a small letter.

It is permissible to make an emphatic word or expression serve the purpose of

a sentence and to punctuate it accordingly:

Again and again he called out. No reply.

The writer must, however, be certain that the emphasis is warranted, and does

not appear to be a mere blunder in punctuation.

Note:

Rules

3

,

4

,

5

, and

6

cover the most important principles in the

punctuation of ordinary sentences; they should be so thoroughly mastered that

their application becomes second nature.

7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer

to the grammatical subject.

Walking slowly down the road, he saw a woman accompanied by two

children.

The word

walking

refers to the subject of the sentence, not to the woman. If the

writer wishes to make it refer to the woman, he must recast the sentence:

He saw a woman, accompanied by two children, walking slowly down the

road.

Participial phrases preceded by a conjunction or by a preposition, nouns in

apposition, adjectives, and adjective phrases come under the same rule if they

begin the sentence.

On arriving in Chicago, his

friends met him at the

station.

A soldier of proved valor,

they entrusted him with the

defense of the city.

When he arrived (or, On his

arrival) in Chicago, his friends

met him at the station.

A soldier of proved valor, he

was entrusted with the defense

of the city.

Young and inexperienced,

Young and inexperienced, I

the task seemed easy to me.

thought the task was easy.

Without a friend to counsel

her, the temptation proved

irresistible.

Without a friend to counsel her,

she found the temptation

irresistible.

Sentences violating this rule are often ludicrous:

Being in a dilapidated condition, I was able to buy the house very cheap.

8. Hyphenate words in accordance with dictionaries and

spelling-checkers.

If there is room at the end of a line for one or more syllables of a word, but not

for the whole word, divide the word unless this involves cutting off only a single

letter or cutting off only two letters of a long word. No hard and fast rule for all

words can be laid down. Choose a dictionary and follow its practice, or use the

hyphenation provided by your word processing program.

The same rule applies when deciding whether to hyphenate a compound noun;

compound adjectives such as

III. Elementary Principles of Composition

9. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to

each topic.

If the subject on which you are writing is of slight extent, or if you intend to treat

it very briefly, there may be no need of subdividing it into topics. Thus a brief

description, a brief summary of a literary work, a brief account of a single

incident, a narrative merely outlining an action, the setting forth of a single idea,

any one of these is best written in a single paragraph. After the paragraph has

been written, it should be examined to see whether subdivision will improve it.

Ordinarily, however, a subject requires subdivision into topics, each of which

should be made the subject of a paragraph. The object of treating each topic in

a paragraph by itself is, of course, to aid the reader. The beginning of each

paragraph serves as a signal that a new step in the development of the subject

has been reached.

The extent of subdivision will vary with the length of the composition. For

example, a short notice of a book or poem might consist of a single paragraph.

One slightly longer might consist of two paragraphs:

A. Account of the work.

B. Critical discussion.

A report on a poem, written for a literature class, might consist of seven

paragraphs:

A. Facts of composition and publication.

B. Kind of poem; metrical form.

C. Subject matter.

D. Treatment of subject.

E. Especially remarkable points.

F. How the poem is characteristic of the writer.

G. Relationship to other works.

The contents of paragraphs C and D would vary with the poem. Usually,

paragraph C would indicate the actual or imagined circumstances of the poem

(the situation), if these call for explanation, and would then state the subject

and outline its development. If the poem is a narrative in the third person

throughout, paragraph C need contain no more than a concise summary of the

action. Paragraph D would indicate the leading ideas and show how they are

made prominent, or would indicate what points in the narrative are chiefly

emphasized.

A novel might be discussed under the heads:

A. Setting.

B. Plot.

C. Characters.

D. Theme.

A historical event might be discussed under the heads:

A. What led up to the event.

B. Account of the event.

C. What followed the event.

In treating either of these last two subjects, the writer would probably find it

necessary to subdivide one or more of the topics here given.

As a rule, single sentences should not be written or printed as paragraphs. An

exception may be made for sentences of transition indicating the relation

between the parts of an exposition or argument.

In dialogue, each speech, even if only a single word, is a paragraph by itself;

that is, a new paragraph begins with each change of speaker. The application

of this rule when dialogue and narrative are combined is best learned from

examples in works of fiction.

10. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it

in conformity with the beginning.

Again, the object is to aid the reader. The practice recommended here enables

him to discover the purpose of each paragraph at its beginning, and to retain

the purpose in mind until its end. For this reason, the most generally useful

kind of paragraph, particularly in exposition and argument, is that in which

a.

the topic sentence comes at or near the beginning;

b.

the succeeding sentences explain or establish or develop the statement

made in the topic sentence; and

c.

the final sentence either emphasizes the thought of the topic sentence

or states some important consequence.

Ending with a digression, or with an unimportant detail, is particularly to be

avoided.

If the paragraph forms part of a larger composition, its relation to what

precedes, or its function as a part of the whole, may need to be expressed.

This can sometimes be done by a mere word or phrase (

again; therefore; for

the same reason

) in the topic sentence. Sometimes, however, it is expedient to

precede the topic sentence by one or more sentences of introduction or

transition. If more than one such sentence is required, it is generally better to

set apart the transitional sentences as a separate paragraph.

Depending on the writer's purpose, he may, as indicated above, relate the

body of the paragraph to the topic sentence in one or more of several different

ways. He may make the meaning of the topic sentence clearer by restating it in

other forms, by defining its terms, by denying the converse, by giving

illustrations or specific instances; he may establish it by proofs; or he may

develop it by showing its implications and consequences. In a long paragraph,

he may carry out several of these processes.

1

Now, to be properly enjoyed, a

1

Topic sentence.

walking tour should be gone upon

alone.

2

If you go in a company, or even in

2

The meaning made

pairs, it is no longer a walking tour in

clearer by denial of the

anything but name; it is something

contrary view.

else and more in the nature of a

picnic.

3

A walking tour should be gone

3

The topic sentence

upon alone, because freedom is of

the essence; because you should

be able to stop and go on, and

follow this way or that, as the freak

takes you; and because you must

have your own pace, and neither

repeated, in abridged

form, and supported by

three reasons; the

meaning of the third

(

own pace

trot alongside a champion walker,

nor mince in time with a girl.

4

And you must be open to all

clearer by denying the

opposite view.

4

A fourth reason, stated

impressions and let your thoughts

take colour from what you see.

5

You should be as a pipe for any

in two forms.

5

The same reason,

wind to play upon.

6

stated in still another

form.

time.

7

When I am in the country, I wish to

6-7

The same reason as

vegetate like the country,

the gist of all that can be said upon

the matter.

8

There should be no cackle of

stated by Hazlitt.

8

Repetition, in

voices at your elbow, to jar on the

meditative silence of the morning.

he cannot surrender himself to that

fine intoxication that comes of much

motion in the open air, that begins in

a sort of dazzle and sluggishness of

the brain, and ends in a peace that

passes comprehension.

—

Stevenson,

Walking Tours.

Another example:

1

It was chiefly in the eighteenth

paraphrase, of the

quotation from Hazlitt.

fourth reason, in

language amplified and

heightened to form a

strong conclusion.

9

And so long as a man is reasoning

9

Final statement of the

1

Topic sentence.

century that a very different conception

of history grew up.

2

Historians then came to believe that

2

The meaning of the

their task was not so much to paint a

picture as to solve a problem; to

explain or illustrate the successive

phases of national growth, prosperity,

and adversity.

3

The history of morals, of industry, of

topic sentence made

clearer; the new

conception of history

defined.

3

The definition

intellect, and of art; the changes that

expanded.

take place in manners or beliefs; the

dominant ideas that prevailed in

successive periods; the rise, fall, and

modification of political constitutions; in

a word, all the conditions of national

well-being became the subjects of their

works.

4

They sought rather to write a history

4

The definition

of peoples than a history of kings.

5

They looked especially in history for

explained by

contrast.

5

The definition

the chain of causes and effects.

supplemented:

another element in

the new conception

of history.

6

Conclusion: an

6

They undertook to study in the past

the physiology of nations, and hoped

by applying the experimental method

on a large scale to deduce some

lessons of real value about the

conditions on which the welfare of

society mainly depend.

—

Lecky,

The

Political Value of History.

important

consequence of the

new conception of

history.

In narration and description the paragraph sometimes begins with a concise,

comprehensive statement serving to hold together the details that follow.

The breeze served us admirably.

The campaign opened with a series of reverses.

The next ten or twelve pages were filled with a curious set of entries.

But this device, if too often used, would become a mannerism. More commonly

the opening sentence simply indicates by its subject with what the paragraph is

to be principally concerned.

At length I thought I might return towards the stockade.

She picked up the heavy lamp from the table and began to explore.

Another flight of steps, and they emerged on the roof.

The brief paragraphs of animated narrative, however, are often without even

this semblance of a topic sentence. The break between them serves the

purpose of a rhetorical pause, throwing into prominence some detail of the

action.

11. Use the active voice.

The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive:

I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.

This is much better than

My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.

The latter sentence is less direct, less bold, and less concise. If the writer tries

to make it more concise by omitting

My first visit to Boston will always be remembered.

it becomes indefinite: is it the writer, or some person undisclosed, or the world

at large, that will always remember this visit?

This rule does not, of course, mean that the writer should entirely discard the

passive voice, which is frequently convenient and sometimes necessary.

The dramatists of the Restoration are little esteemed today.

Modern readers have little esteem for the dramatists of the Restoration.

The first would be the right form in a paragraph on the dramatists of the

Restoration; the second, in a paragraph on the tastes of modern readers. The

need of making a particular word the subject of the sentence will often, as in

these examples, determine which voice is to be used.

The habitual use of the active voice, however, makes for forceful writing. This

is true not only in narrative principally concerned with action, but in writing of

any kind. Many a tame sentence of description or exposition can be made

lively and emphatic by substituting a transitive verb, whenever possible in the

active voice, for some such perfunctory expression as

there is,

or

could be

heard.

The sound of the falls could still be

We could still hear the