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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.
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
Must
Writer
Instances
Even
Hold
Likewise
Never
Lose
Application
Principles
Concrete
Loses
Dealing
Particular
Instance
Upon
Argument
Exposition
Art
General
Furnish
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Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating.
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Avoid fancy words....If you admire fancy words, if every sky is beauteous, every blonde curvaceous, every intelligent child prodigious, if you are tickled by discombobulate, you will have bad time Reminder 14.
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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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Every writer, by the way he uses the language, reveals something of his spirit, his habits, his capacities, his bias....Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy, and the cute. Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able.
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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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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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It is worse to be irresolute than to be wrong.
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A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
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If you use a colloquialism or a slang word or phrase, simply use it do not draw attention to it by enclosing it in quotation marks. To do so is to put on airs, as though you were inviting the reader to join you in a select society of those who know better.
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To acquire style, begin by affecting none.
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Vigorous writing is concise.
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To air one's views gratuitously, is to imply that the demand for them is brisk.
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Instead of announcing what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so.
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The approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity.
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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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If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!
William Strunk, Jr.
