Apply Strunk's Elements of Style to improve any prose. Use when asked to clean up, tighten, edit, or improve writing—documentation, emails, reports, explanations, UI text, or any prose meant for humans.
<quick_start> Apply these six rules to any writing:
<core_principles> <principle name="active_voice"> Rule 10: Use the active voice
Active voice is direct and vigorous. Passive voice is indirect and weak.
| Passive (avoid) |
|---|
| Active (prefer) |
|---|
| My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me | I shall always remember my first visit to Boston |
| The decision was made by the committee | The committee decided |
| It was not long before he was very sorry that he had said what he had | He soon repented his words |
| There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground | Dead leaves covered the ground |
| The sound of a guitar somewhere in the house could be heard | Somewhere in the house a guitar hummed sleepily |
Exception: Use passive when the actor is unknown or irrelevant:
Avoid stacking passives:
| Stacked (confusing) | Clear |
|---|---|
| Gold was not allowed to be exported | It was forbidden to export gold |
| He has been proved to have been seen entering the building | It has been proved that he was seen to enter the building |
Make definite assertions. Say what something is, not what it isn't. Readers want to know what is, not what is not.
| Negative (avoid) | Positive (prefer) |
|---|---|
| He was not very often on time | He usually came late |
| He did not think that studying Latin was much use | He thought the study of Latin useless |
| not honest | dishonest |
| not important | trifling |
| did not remember | forgot |
| did not pay any attention to | ignored |
| did not have much confidence in | distrusted |
Exception: Negatives work in antithesis:
Use not as a means of denial or antithesis, never as a means of evasion. </principle>
Prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract.
| Vague (avoid) | Specific (prefer) |
|---|---|
| A period of unfavorable weather set in | It rained every day for a week |
| He showed satisfaction as he took possession of his well-earned reward | He grinned as he pocketed the coin |
| In proportion as the manners, customs, and amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous, the regulations of their penal code will be severe | In proportion as men delight in battles, bull-fights, and combats of gladiators, will they punish by hanging, burning, and the rack |
The surest method of arousing and holding the attention of the reader is by being specific, definite, and concrete. The greatest writers—Homer, Dante, Shakespeare—are constantly definite and concrete.
Herbert Spencer's insight: "As we do not think in generals, but in particulars—as whenever any class of things is referred to, we represent it to ourselves by calling to mind individual members of it—when an abstract word is used, the reader has to choose from his stock of images one or more by which he may figure to himself the genus mentioned. In doing this, some delay must arise, some force be expended." </principle>
Vigorous writing is concise. 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.
This requires not that the writer make all sentences short, or avoid all detail, but that every word tell.
| Wordy (avoid) | Concise (prefer) |
|---|---|
| the question as to whether | whether |
| there is no doubt but that | doubtless |
| used for fuel purposes | used for fuel |
| he is a man who | he |
| in a hasty manner | hastily |
| this is a subject which | this subject |
| owing to the fact that | because |
| in spite of the fact that | although |
| call your attention to the fact that | remind you |
| the fact that he had not succeeded | his failure |
| the fact that I had arrived | my arrival |
The "who is/which was" test: Often superfluous.
| Wordy | Concise |
|---|---|
| His brother, who is a member of the same firm | His brother, a member of the same firm |
| Trafalgar, which was Nelson's last battle | Trafalgar, Nelson's last battle |
Combine when possible:
| Sprawling (51 words) | Tight (26 words) |
|---|---|
| Macbeth was very ambitious. This led him to wish to become king of Scotland. The witches told him that this wish of his would come true. The king of Scotland at this time was Duncan. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murdered Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan as king. | Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth achieved his ambition and realized the prediction of the witches by murdering Duncan and becoming king of Scotland in his place. |
The likeness of form enables the reader to recognize more readily the likeness of content and function. Familiar examples: the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the petitions of the Lord's Prayer.
| Inconsistent (confusing) | Parallel (clear) |
|---|---|
| Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method, while now the laboratory method is employed | Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method; now it is taught by the laboratory method |
| The French, the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese | The French, the Italians, the Spanish, and the Portuguese |
| In spring, summer, or in winter | In spring, summer, or winter |
Correlatives must match: both/and, not/but, not only/but also, either/or, first/second/third
| Broken (awkward) | Parallel (smooth) |
|---|---|
| It was both a long ceremony and very tedious | The ceremony was both long and tedious |
| A time not for words, but action | A time not for words, but for action |
| Either you must grant his request or incur his ill will | You must either grant his request or incur his ill will |
| My objections are, first, the injustice of the measure; second, that it is unconstitutional | My objections are, first, that the measure is unjust; second, that it is unconstitutional |
The position of words in a sentence is the principal means of showing their relationship. Bring together words that are related in thought; keep apart those that are not.
Subject and verb should not be separated by transferable phrases:
| Separated (weak) | Together (strong) |
|---|---|
| Wordsworth, in the fifth book of The Excursion, gives a minute description of this church | In the fifth book of The Excursion, Wordsworth gives a minute description of this church |
| Cast iron, when treated in a Bessemer converter, is changed into steel | By treatment in a Bessemer converter, cast iron is changed into steel |
Relative pronouns should immediately follow their antecedent:
| Ambiguous | Clear |
|---|---|
| There was a look in his eye that boded mischief | In his eye was a look that boded mischief |
| He wrote three articles about his adventures in Spain, which were published in Harper's Magazine | He published in Harper's Magazine three articles about his adventures in Spain |
Modifiers should sit next to what they modify:
| Misplaced | Correct |
|---|---|
| All the members were not present | Not all the members were present |
| He only found two mistakes | He found only two mistakes |
The proper place for the word or group of words the writer desires to make most prominent is usually the end.
| Weak ending | Strong ending |
|---|---|
| Humanity has hardly advanced in fortitude since that time, though it has advanced in many other ways | Humanity, since that time, has advanced in many other ways, but it has hardly advanced in fortitude |
| This steel is principally used for making razors, because of its hardness | Because of its hardness, this steel is principally used in making razors |
The periodic sentence: Suspense gives prominence to the main statement.
"Four centuries ago, Christopher Columbus, one of the Italian mariners whom the decline of their own republics had put at the service of the world and of adventure, seeking for Spain a westward passage to the Indies as a set-off against the achievements of Portuguese discoverers, lighted on America."
The other prominent position is the beginning. Any element other than the subject becomes emphatic when placed first:
This principle applies equally to words in sentences, sentences in paragraphs, and paragraphs in compositions. </principle> </core_principles>
<structure_principles> <principle name="bluf"> BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front
Put your conclusion first, then explain. Your first sentence answers what you need and by when.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| I've been working on the marketing materials for the conference. The design team worked hard on the layout. Could you take a look when you get a chance? | I need you to approve the attached flyer by noon Friday. It's for the August conference. |
Skip BLUF when:
One paragraph to each topic. The beginning of each paragraph signals to the reader that a new step in the development of the subject has been reached.
Rule 9: Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence
The topic sentence comes at or near the beginning. Succeeding sentences explain, establish, or develop it. The final sentence emphasizes the thought or states an important consequence.
Ending with a digression or unimportant detail is particularly to be avoided. </principle>
A loose sentence consists of two co-ordinate clauses joined by a conjunction (and, but, so) or a relative (who, which, when, where). One such sentence is fine. A series becomes monotonous.
| Monotonous | Varied |
|---|---|
| The third concert was given last evening, and a large audience was in attendance. Mr. Appleton was the soloist, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra furnished the instrumental music. The former showed himself to be an artist of the first rank, while the latter proved itself fully deserving of its high reputation. | (Recast using simple sentences, semicolons, periodic sentences, or sentences of three clauses) |
If you find you've written several such sentences in a row, recast enough to remove the monotony. </principle> </structure_principles>
<usage_reference> Common traps to avoid:
When editing:
<limited_context_strategy>
<success_criteria> Writing is clear when: