The elements of style

• Foreword
• p. ix

• Introduction
• p. xiii

• I.
• Elementary Rules of Usage
• p. 1

• 1.
• Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's
• p. 1

• 2.
• In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last
• p. 2

• 3.
• Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas
• p. 2

• 4.
• Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause
• p. 5

• 5.
• Do not join independent clauses with a comma
• p. 5

• 6.
• Do not break sentences in two
• p. 7

• 7.
• Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation
• p. 7

• 8.
• Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary
• p. 9

• 9.
• The number of the subject determines the number of the verb
• p. 9

• 10.
• Use the proper case of pronoun
• p. 11

• 11.
• A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject
• p. 13

• II.
• Elementary Principles of Composition
• p. 15

• 12.
• Choose a suitable design and hold to it
• p. 15

• 13.
• Make the paragraph the unit of composition
• p. 15

• 14.
• Use the active voice
• p. 18

• 15.
• Put statements in positive form
• p. 19

• 16.
• Use definite, specific, concrete language
• p. 21

• 17.
• Omit needless words
• p. 23

• 18.
• Avoid a succession of loose sentences
• p. 25

• 19.
• Express coordinate ideas in similar form
• p. 26

• 20.
• Keep related words together
• p. 28

• 21.
• In summaries, keep to one tense
• p. 31

• 22.
• Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end
• p. 32

• III.
• A Few Matters of Form
• p. 34

• IV.
• Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
• p. 39

• V.
• An Approach to Style (With a List of Reminders)
• p. 66

• 1.
• Place yourself in the background
• p. 70

• 2.
• Write in a way that comes naturally
• p. 70

• 3.
• Work from a suitable design
• p. 70

• 4.
• Write with nouns and verbs
• p. 71

• 5.
• Revise and rewrite
• p. 72

• 6.
• Do not overwrite
• p. 72

• 7.
• Do not overstate
• p. 73

• 8.
• Avoid the use of qualifiers
• p. 73

• 9.
• Do not affect a breezy manner
• p. 73

• 10.
• Use orthodox spelling
• p. 74

• 11.
• Do not explain too much
• p. 75

• 12.
• Do not construct awkward adverbs
• p. 75

• 13.
• Make sure the reader knows who is speaking
• p. 76

• 14.
• Avoid fancy words
• p. 76

• 15.
• Do not use dialect unless your ear is good
• p. 78

• 16.
• Be clear
• p. 79

• 17.
• Do not inject opinion
• p. 79

• 18.
• Use figures of speech sparingly
• p. 80

• 19.
• Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity
• p. 80

• 20.
• Avoid foreign languages
• p. 81

• 21.
• Prefer the standard to the offbeat
• p. 81

• Afterword
• p. 87

• Glossary
• p. 89

• Index
• p. 97