Scientific Communications

EAS-450, Spring 2007

Summary of "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White

1.1 Elementary Rules of Usage

1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
3. Enclose parenthetical statements between commas.
4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.
5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma.
6. Do not beak sentences in two.
7. Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.
8. Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption, and to introduce a long appositive or summary.
9. The number of the subject determines the number of the verb.
10. Use the proper case of pronoun.
11. A particular phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

1.2. Elementary Principles of Composition

1. Choose a suitable design and hold to it.
2. Make the paragraph the unit of composition.
3. Use the active voice (but caution!).
4. Put statements in positive form.
5. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
6. Omit needless words.
7. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
8. Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
9. Keep related words together.
10. In summaries, keep to one tense
11. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.

1.3 A Few Matters of Form

• Colloquialisms - if you must use, be unobtrusive
• Exclamations - use only when warranted
• Headings - leave space for emphasis
• Hyphen - use for compound adjectives, dictionary for language development
• Margins - equalize (inside margin sometimes larger for binding)
• Numerals - do not spell out (but editors may override!)
• Parentheses - punctuate outside as if absent, else punctuate inside
• Quotations - note punctuation before, must be used for direct quotations
• References - depends on journal style- usually author(s) and date
• Syllabication - use spell checkers
• Titles - depends on journal style

1.4 Words and Expressions Commonly Misused

• Aggravate - to ``make worse'', Irritate - to ``annoy''
• All right - 2 words
• Allude - to ``refer to'', elude - to ``escape from''
• Allusion - indirect reference, illusion- something unreal
• Alternate} - every other one in a series, alternative} - one of 2 possibilities
• Among - choice of more than 2, between - choice of 2 (note exception)
• And/or - avoid
• Anticipate - often replace by ``expect''
• Anybody, everybody etc.} - keep as one word
• Anyone - same as anybody
• As good or better than - avoid, re-phrase
• As to whether - replace by ``whether''
• As yet - replace by ``yet''
• Being - can often be omitted
• But - use cautiously
• Can - do not use for may
• Case- use sparingly
• Certainly - use sparingly
• Character - use sparingly
• Claim - do not substitute for ``declare, maintain or charge''
• Clever - note the quaint example
• Compare - to when objects are different order, with when object are similar
• Comprise} - to ``embrace'', not a substitute for ``constitute''
• Consider - use caution when followed by as
• Contact - over used substitute for ``telephoned'', ``mailed'', etc.
• Cope - must use in the form ``cope with"
• Currently - use sparingly
• Data - originally plural, now widely used as singular
• Different than - do not substitute for ``different from"
• Disinterested - means ``impartial", uninterested means ``not interested in"
• Divided into - do not substitute for ``composed of''
• Due to - means ``attributable to", not ``because of" [a subtle distinction!]
• Each and Every one - avoid
• Effect - to ``bring about", not to ``influence"
• Enormity - use sparingly
• Enthuse - do not use as a verb
• Etc. - do not use after a list beginning with ``such as", ``for example"
• Fact - use only in reference to a verifiable matter, not as a judgment
• Facility - use sparingly
• Factor - use sparingly
• Farther - means ``more distant", when relating to time use ``further"
• Feature - use sparingly, never to mean ``offered as a special attraction"
• Finalize - avoid
• Fix - to ``make firm", but now used colloquially
• Flammable - both it and inflammable can mean ``not combustible" !!
• Folk - avoid for references to family (in formal writing)
• Fortuitous - something that happens by chance, do not use for ``lucky"
• Got - do not add to have, do not use gotten
• Gratuitous - means ``unearned''
• He is a man who - redundant, use ``he''
• Hopefully - use only to mean ``with hope", not "I hope"
• However - use rarely to start a sentence
• Imply - to ``suggest'' or ``indicate'', infer - to ``deduce from''
• Importantly - avoid
• In regard to - OK, means same as ``as regards''
• In the last analysis - avoid
• Inside of - use instead ``inside''
• Insightful - use sparingly
• In terms of - avoid
• Interesting - avoid, virtually meaningless
• Irregardless - avoid, use instead ``regardless''
•  -ize - avoid using as a suffix ``prioritize'', etc.
• Kind of - do not use in the sense of ``rather like''
• Lay - do not confuse with lie
• Leave - don't confuse with let
• Less - do not use in the sense of ``fewer''
• Like - do not use in the sense of ``as''
• Line - do not use in phrases such as ``along these lines''
• Literal - use very sparingly
• Loan - a noun, as a verb use ``lend''
• Meaningful - avoid
• Memento - not ``momento''!
• Most - do not confuse for ``almost''
• Nature - use sparingly
• Nauseous - do not confuse with nauseated
• Nice - avoid, except to mean ``precise''
• Nor - usually used after ``neither ...''
• Noun used as a verb - a common (and bad) trend
• Offputting - this and ongoing are usually redundant.
• One - do not use with personal pronouns
• One of the most - avoid
• -oriented - avoid
• Partially - means ``to a certain degree'', partly usually refers to a physical object
• Particle for verbal noun - see the examples\\
• People - use only in a political sense, otherwise ``public'' or ``persons''
• Personalize - avoid (see -ize)
• Personally - avoid
• Possess - pretentious replacement for ``own'' or ``have''
• Presently - use only to mean ``in a little while''
• Prestigious - use sparingly
• Regretful - do not confuse with ``regrettable''
• Relate - do not use to suggest empathy
• Respective, respectively - use sparingly
• Secondly, thirdly, etc. - shorten to ``second'', ``third''
• Shall - singular form expressing belief, will expresses determination
• So - avoid with adjectives
• Sort of - see kind of
• Split infinitive - to (something) (verb) should be changed to ``to (verb) (something)''
• State - to express fully and at length, not just ``say'
• Student body - pompous form of ``students''
• Thanking you in advance - a gratuitous phrase to be avoided
• That - is a restrictive pronoun, which is nonrestrictive (see example)
• The foreseeable future - avoid
• The truth is ... the fact is ... - avoid
• They - do not substitute for a singular pronoun, e.g. ``he''
• This - be careful to limit the reference
• Thrust - use sparingly
• Tortuous and torturous - note the subtle distinction
• Transpire - overuse when meaning ``happens'', use for ``becomes known''
• Try - use ``try to'', not ``try and''
• Type - do not use for ``kind of''
• Unique - should not be qualified
• Utilize - overworked, prefer ``use''
• Verbal - do not use when you mean ``oral''
• Very - avoid
• While - use only to mean ``during the time that''
• -wise - avoid this colloquialism
• Worth while - a weak phrase, worthwhile - a weak adjective
• Would - use only to express a habitual action

1.5 An Approach to Style - Reminders

1. Place yourself in the background
- is it important the reader knows how you feel today?

2. Write in a way that comes naturally
- the first draft of any composition, no matter how mundane, is best done quickly using your natural mode of expression - but you must revise this later!

3. Work from a suitable design
- be methodical, best to go from the particular (e.g. results) to the general (e.g. introduction)

4. Write with nouns and verbs
- avoid too many adjective, adverbs and qualifiers

5. Revise and rewrite
- revise and rewrite - revise and rewrite - revise and rewrite - ....

6. Do not overwrite
- you are not writing English literature - no one cares if you use long and intricate words or phrases - be modest

7. Do not overstate
- you are not writing advertising copy - stick to the facts

8. Avoid use of qualifiers
- this is sometimes difficult to do in science

9. Do not affect a breezy manner
- what sounds light and invigorating the first day you read it can be torture the next

10. Use orthodox spelling
- contractions and colloquialisms - be gone!

11. Do not explain too much
- generally you don't have space or time - but you need to be clear - or to refer elsewhere for further information

12. Do not construct awkward adverbs
- avoid making words with -ly

13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking
- more applicable to dialogue - but make sure you know what tense you are writing in!

14. Avoid fancy words
- science is full enough of jargon, do not make matters worse by showing off your English skills (or lack of them if you do it wrong!)

15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good

16. Be clear
- the most important rule of all

17. Do not inject opinion
- but if you do, e.g. in a discussion section, make sure the reader knows it is opinion and not some concealed fact

18. Use figures of speech sparingly
- you are not writing a novel

19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity
- the second most important rule

20. Avoid foreign languages
- except standard phrases, e.g. a priori

21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat
- choose simplicity, avoid attention getting devices unless used subtly.

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