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Instead of announcing what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so.
William Strunk, Jr.
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William Strunk, Jr.
Age: 77 †
Born: 1869
Born: July 1
Died: 1946
Died: September 26
Professor
Writer
Cincinnati
Ohio
Announcing
Instead
Interesting
Tell
Writing
Make
More quotes by William Strunk, Jr.
It is worse to be irresolute than to be wrong.
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Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons ... Good writing means good revising.
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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.
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Vigorous writing is concise.
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Remember, it is no sign of weakness or defeat that your manuscript ends up in need of major surgery. This is a common occurrence in all writing, and among the best writers.
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The surest way to arouse and hold the attention of the reader is by being specific, definitive, and concrete. The greatest writers - Homer, Dante, Shakespeare - are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report the details that matter. Their words call up pictures.
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A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.
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The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place.
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To air one's views gratuitously, is to imply that the demand for them is brisk.
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The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.
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Never call a stomach a tummy without good reason.
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...when a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.
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In exposition and in argument, the writer must likewise never lose his hold upon the concrete and even when he is dealing with general principles, he must furnish particular instances of their application.
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To acquire style, begin by affecting none.
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Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language.
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Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating.
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None are so fallible as those who are sure they're right.
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A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
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The approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity.
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If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!
William Strunk, Jr.
