elements of style 2
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the elements of styleGrammar rules
Presented by THE BLUE AND GOLD
William Strunk, E.B. White, and Maria Kalman
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Disclaimer
I’m no expert.
I may be wrong.
In language, who’s to say who’s right?
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
,Commas
Apostrophes
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Apostrophes
• Charles’ or Charles’s?
• Exceptions:
• Moses/Jesus/Isis
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Eats shoots and leaves The power of the comma
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After every term...
Red, white, and blue
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Interruptions
• The best way to see a country is to travel on foot.
• The best way to see a country unless you are pressed for time is to travel on foot.
• The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Interruptions
• Well Susan, this is a fine mess you’re in.
• Well, Susan, this is a fine mess you’re in.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Combining sentences
• The audience was at first indifferent. Later they became more interested.
• The audience, which had initially been indifferent, later became more interested.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Is it a key phrase or not?
• A key phrase should not have commas when inserted
• People sitting in the rear couldn’t hear.
• A person trained in the arts tends to be more creative.
• Uncle Bert, who is a friend of mine, came over for dinner.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Semicolons
• Used for sentences not inclusive of conjunctions
• No “but”, “and”, etc.
• It is nearly half past five; making it back to town will be challenging.
• Except proverbs, cliches, conversational sentences
“Man proposes,
God disposes.”
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More interruptions
• The interrupting clause does not make the tense
• The journey of Gandhi - all of the ups and downs - makes great reading.
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None = no one = not one
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Introducing the dashHis first thought when he got out of bed - if he had any thought at all - was to get back in again.
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Who... or whoever? A guide to pronouns
• Tricky!
• Who is it?
• Whoever made this mess should clear up.
• Gerald is the new person who is in charge of finances.
• Gerald is the new person whom you should look for.
• Avoid ambiguity, but don’t go into excess
• Blake and myself stayed home.
• Blake and I stayed home.
• She loves you more than me.
• She loves you more than she loves me.
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Do you mind me asking a question?
Do you mind my asking a question?
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Referring to the right term
• Wondering resolutely what to do next, the clock struck twelve.
• While I wondered resolutely what to do next, the clock struck twelve.
• Being in a dilapidated condition, I was able to buy the house very cheap.
• The house, being in a dilapidated condition, was sold rather cheaply.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Active voice
• More concise
• At dawn the crowing of a rooster could be heard.
• The cock’s crow came at dawn.
• There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground.
• Dead leaves lay on the ground.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Positivity
• Also helps to be more concise
• He was not often on time.
• He was often late.
• Shakespeare portrays Brutus as a person whose character is not strong enough to handle the temptation of being noble.
• Shakespeare portrays Brutus as weak, naive, and malleable.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Be specific
• Clarity is key
• A period of unfavorable weather forced the harvest to a later time.
• The farmer postponed the harvest due to rain.
• The satisfaction that he showed when he collected his hard-earned reward was obvious.
• He grinned as he pocketed the coins.
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Needless words
The question as to whether Whether
He is a man who He
In a nasty manner Nastily
Her story is a strange one Her story is strange
The reason why is that Because
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Avoid loose sentences
The teacher was almost thirty. She just started at this job. She used to be a financial adviser. The hours were long and the pay often miserable. Thus, she decided to switch.
She became a teacher, not because of passion, but because she used to be a financial adviser, working long hours with miserable pay.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Parallel construction
• Be consistent
• In spring, summer, or in winter
• In spring, summer or winter
• A time not for words but action
• A time not for words but for action
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Related words - keep them together
• You can call your mother in London and tell her all about George’s taking you out to dinner for just two dollars.
• For just two dollars, you can call your mother in London and tell her all about George’s taking you out to dinner.
• New York’s first commercial human-sperm bank opened on Friday with semen samples from eighteen men frozen in a stainless-steel tank.
• New York’s first commercial human-sperm bank opened on Friday with semen samples taken from eighteen men. The samples were then frozen in a stainless-steel tank.
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Extras
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Common mistakes
• Alright vs. All right
• “Case” can often be omitted: It is often the case that... (You don’t need this)
• Comprise: means embrace
• Data: always plural
• However: better not used at the beginning
• Irregardless vs regardless
• Meaningful: often meaningless
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Common mistakes
• Firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly?: Omit the -ly
• The truth is... the fact is...: You don’t need this.
• While: Don’t use as a connective
• Avoid overdoing similes and metaphors
• Fancy words: Avoid.
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Tips
• Write with nouns and verbs
• Do not overwrite
• Prefer the standard to the offbeat
• Be clear
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InDesign: The Basics 10 September 2010
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Thank you
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
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