Quote

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.

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
Language
Avoid
Tempted
Use
Ten
Dollar
Spirit
Dollars
Uses
Elaborate
Able
Capacity
Cute
Handy
Every
Habit
Habits
Capacities
Something
Writer
Center
Pretentious
Way
Ready
Twenty
Bias
Word
Twenties
Reveals

More quotes by William Strunk, Jr.

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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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If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!
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None are so fallible as those who are sure they're right.
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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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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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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 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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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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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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It is worse to be irresolute than to be wrong.
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To air one's views gratuitously, is to imply that the demand for them is brisk.
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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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A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.
William Strunk, Jr.
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Opinions scattered indiscriminately about leave the mark of egotism.
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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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Never call a stomach a tummy without good reason.
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Vigorous writing is concise.
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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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Instead of announcing what you are about to tell is interesting, make it so.
William Strunk, Jr.