Plodding through The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White — Part 1
Written by Jordan Lui, 10/11/2020
Before my college quarter began, I was asked to buy a book called: “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr. And E.B. White.
When I first received this book, I initially dismissed it. Perhaps due to its length or that the first passage was more philosophical then educational. But after reading several chapters of it, I’ve come to greatly enjoy the ideas and techniques that it teaches you about.
Some personal history with writing
First things first, I want to iterate that I am a creative writer by heart. I like to write in my spare-time, so reading a book that’s about the fundamentals of writing is very captivating to me. Writing is a creative outlet, yet it not nearly as present as other forms of creativity such as music or media. So having a book that demonstrates the techniques of writing is very eye-opening.
I have a tenuous grasp on grammar and spelling, I have been diagnosed with autism so glossing over the technical mistakes in my creative writing was the norm for me. I was to fixated on creating a good story or creating likable characters than using correct grammatical phrasing.
The first chapter starts with the basics; it covers common grammar issues. Ranging from the usages of ‘it’s and its’ to the necessity of commons and when they should be applied. These mistakes have always been a roadblock for those who are interested in writing so to see them be covered is a great thing to see.
Elementary Rules of Usages
More specifically, it explains a list of ten rules that should always be considered when writing.
The rules are:
1. Form the Possessive Singular of nouns by adding ‘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 a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
5. Do not join independent clauses with a comma.
6. Do not break sentences in two.
7. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list
8. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary.
9. The number of the subject determines the number of the verb.
10. Use the proper case of pronouns.
11. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.
It also tackles the usage of semicolons. I’ve learned that semicolons can be used when the subjects of a sentence are correlated to each other and conjunction is not used. For example: “Mark is a great driver; he can handle the road to Hana with ease.” This is a proper sentence for the semicolon is connecting the subjects together since they’re talking about the same topic.
It's okay to put a comma though, as long as a conjunction is used. for example: “Mark is a great driver, for he can handle the road to Hana with ease.” While this is correct, the book goes on to say that it shouldn’t be used as its wordier.
These nuances are the reason why I like writing. Personally, to find these issues whenever I’m writing, I use a web application called Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/?q=brand&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand_f1&utm_content=329885936576&utm_term=grammarly&matchtype=e&placement=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2or8BRCNARIsAC_ppya6LSHXEZAsPsNyr9btEgE4PnEiW8REfS52VaBeZrse3i0EU89omewaAtzjEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
But this book explains why these issues are issues and shouldn’t be glossed over. They are the foundations of good writing.
