A word’s purpose depends on the sentence it is in. She was once an English teacher. Filler words, cluttering words, words that take up space and offer nothing. Vigorous writing is concise. Vigorous writing is concise. Words that hedge where others double down. Saturday, September 26, 2009 Strunk & White's Rule #17: Omit Needless Words "Vigorous writing is concise. My maternal grandmother.

Lucy Walsh on July 30, 2011 at 10:51 am I’m currently reading Strunk and White (for my writing course) and couldn’t help but feel the same after 25 pages. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. “Omit needless words,” advises William Strunk in the original edition of The Elements of Style, a bible for writers. A word’s purpose depends on the sentence it is in. That’s the one I’ll page through when I want or need to consult the book. It has the handwritten name of someone I don’t know on its title page. I had recently read him for the first time, starting with The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, a story about a girl lost in the woods. Others should be used sparingly. If I remember correctly, I already had a copy of it—maybe two maybe both of the aforementioned paperbacks—but I wasn’t inspired to read The Elements of Style until after King mentioned it in the Second Foreword to On Writing, saying: This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit… One notable exception to the bullshit rule is The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White….Rule 17 in the chapter title Principles of Composition is “Omit needless words.” I will try to do that here. Perhaps there is no reason to elaborate on a rule like omit needless words, but Strunk and White choose to: Vigorous writing is concise.

Click here to view the newsletter archive. I will not dispute that. MISTAKE MONDAY for September 28: Can YOU spot what’s wrong? King said it was the 17th. Or: omit needless words. I assume a used book store. But this is not about Stephen King. He then says. Words like actually or clearly or inexorably, words like quite or very, words like utilize, phrases like the fact that or the matter at hand. But some words can be lost altogether. -William Strunk, Jr. & E. B. “Omit needless words,” advises William Strunk in the original edition of The Elements of Style, a bible for writers. I think it is still at my office, a place I don’t go often these days. I just referred to it as the 13th rule. I rarely open it. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. He then says. "; "Do not break sentences in two"; and "Use the active voice." What I intend to explore here is examples of such needless words. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. One of them is a hardcover, published in the last decade or so, with illustrations. The name on the cover, if you cannot read it, is Beatrice K. Bossert. I don’t remember where I got it. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no … On Writing came out in 2000 and I know that I read it as a hardcover, shortly after its release. Read the rest of Strunk’s advice on needless words. Starting again: this is a new website dedicated to the 13th rule of the second chapter of The Elements of Style. All rights reserved I will not dispute that. A word can be the master-of-ceremonies in one sentence and an gatecrasher in another. Filler words, cluttering words, words that take up space and offer nothing. https://www.investmentwriting.com/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/investmentwriting_logo_2016.png, “Omit needless words”–Excerpt from Strunk’s The Elements of Style, Copyright © 2020- Susan Weiner's Blog on Investment Writing, Two views: “Why Wasatch Writes White Papers”, Read the rest of Strunk’s advice on needless words, Fun with Strunk and White: Grammar rap video, Strong words from editor of Financial Analysts Journal, Name your photos effectively for publication. Another is a small paperback in relatively good shape. I think I was around 14 I first read it. William Strunk Jr. — ‘Omit needless words.’ ... “Omit needless words.” ― William Strunk Jr., The Elements of Style; How to Speak and Write Correctly. It seems as if it will fall apart eventually but for now it is usable. Copyright 2020 by Susan B. Weiner 8 ways to cut word count and boost your impact! This is the first blog post on a new website dedicated to that 13th rule from Chapter II of The Elements of Style—or, wait. What I intend to explore here is examples of such needless words. The first needless word discussed is Actually. And in this theme, I will end my first entry here. But both copies of The Elements of Style that I have within reach list it as the 13th rule under “Elementary Principles of Style” (which King lists as “Principles of Style.”) I cannot explain this, although it’s possible King and I have books from different floors of the Tower. White. Read more quotes from William Strunk Jr. Share this quote: Like Quote. Yea, S&W may have its issues, but nobody can argue against the ‘omit needless words’ statement. White, The Elements of Style. tags: writing-words. I cannot remember the first time I read The Elements of Style, but I am fairly certain it was not until after I read Stephen King’s On Writing.

On the inside of the cover, it reads: Many of my older books were once hers, including a collection of everything Mark Twain wrote and various other books about literature and writing. I have three copies of The Elements of Style by William Stunk, Jr. and E. B. This grammar rap video on Strunk and White's Elements of Style cracked me up, so…, Copyblogger Brian Clark's lessons in "The two most important words in blogging" apply equally to…, "...I hereby consign the shibboleth of 'uncorrelated return' to the scrap heap of asset allocation….

Ready to keep reading? But some words can be lost altogether. This content may not be reposted without the author’s written permission.

I should it bring it home with me the next time I am there. March 8, 2011 / in client communication, communication, writing / by Susan Weiner, CFA. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

Among Strunk's legendary commandments: "Omit needless words! "He was a memorable man, friendly and funny," White wrote of Strunk in a 1957 New Yorker column. In my efforts to improve my writing, I have identified words that I would like to go without and other words that I would like to use rarely.



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