The Elements of StyleBy E. B. White

Elementary Rules of Usage

Red, white and blue

Life, liberty and happiness

Britt, Collins, & Kling Associates

Are these correct?

In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use of a comma after each term except the last.

This comma is often referred to as the “serial” comma.

In the names of business firms the last comma is usually omitted.

The Rule

Red, white, and blue

Life, liberty, and happiness

Britt, Collins & Kling Associates

Correct

The best way to see a country unless you are pressed for time is to travel on foot.

The audience which had at first been indifferent became more and more interested.

In 1769 when Napoleon was born Corsica had but recently been acquired by France.

Are these correct?

Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.

Nonrestrictive relative clauses are parenthetic, as are similar clauses introduced by conjunctions indicating time or place. Commas are therefore needed.

A nonrestrictive clause is one that does not serve to identify or define the antecedent noun. They merely add something; they do not limit or define.

The Rule

The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot.

The audience, which had at first been indifferent, became more and more interested.

In 1769, when Napoleon was born, Corsica had but recently been acquired by France.

Correct

THAT Grandpa took the

lawnmower that was broken to the hardware store to be fixed.

WHICH Grandma hated the

lawnmower, which a neighbor had given to her for free, because it was hard to start.

The early records of the city have disappeared and the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed.

The city had a strong Spanish heritage yet some of the homes in the historical district were built with a definite French influence.

Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independent clause.

The city had the first fire district and notified citizens of emergencies with a bell.

The Rule

The early records of the city have disappeared, and the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed.

The city had a strong Spanish heritage, yet some of the homes in the historical district were built with a definite French influence.

Correct

Mary Shelly’s works are entertaining they are full of engaging ideas.

It is nearly half past five we cannot get to the movie on time.

Correct?

Do not join independent clauses with a comma.

If two or more grammatically complete clauses not joined by a conjunction are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.

An exception to the semicolon rule is worth noting here. A comma is preferable when the clauses are very short and alike in form, or when the tone of the sentence is easy and conversational.

The Rule

Mary Shelly’s works are entertaining; they are full of engaging ideas.

It is nearly half past five; we cannot get to the movie on time.

The gate opened, the bridge fell.

Correct!

She was an interesting talker. A woman who had traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries.

I met them on a cruise many years ago. Coming home from Venezuela to Miami.

Again and again he called out. No reply.

Correct?

Do not break sentences in two.

Do not use periods for commas.

It is permissible to make an emphatic word or expression serve the purpose of a sentence and to punctuate it accordingly. Be certain that the emphasis is warranted, lest a clipped sentence seem merely a blunder in syntax or in punctuation.

Generally speaking, the place for broken sentences is in dialogue, when a character happens to speak in a clipped or fragmentary way.

The Rule

She was an interesting talker, a woman who had traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries.

I met them on a cruise many years ago, coming home from Venezuela to Miami.

Again and again he called out. No reply.

Correct!

Correct?

Your dedicated whittler requires: a knife, apiece of wood, and a back porch.

Understanding is that penetrating quality of knowledge that grows from:

theory, practice, conviction, assertion, error, and humiliation.

Use a colon after an independent clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, and amplification, or an illustrative quotation.

The colon tells the reader that what follows is closely related to the preceding clause. The colon has more effect than the comma, less power to separate than the semicolon, and more formality than the dash.

It usually follows an independent clause and should not separate a verb from its complement or a preposition from its object.

The Rule

Your dedicated whittler requires three props: a knife, apiece of wood, and a back porch.

Understanding is that penetrating quality of knowledge that grows from theory, practice, conviction, assertion, error, and humiliation.

Correct!

Thunder usually follow lightning.

The destruction of tornadoes are devastating.

John and his friends is about to leave.

Correct?

The number of the subject determines the number of the verb.

Words that intervene between subject and verb do not affect the number of the verb.

A compound subject formed of two or more nouns joined by and almost always requires a plural verb.

The Rule

Thunder usually follows lightning.

The destruction of tornadoes is devastating.

John and his friends are about to leave.

Correct!

The famous historian is her. Our closest friends have always been them. Us seniors have the most spirit. Our language arts teacher praised Holly and

he. The company gave we students an award.

Correct?

Use the proper case of pronoun. Use the nominative case when a pronoun is

used as the subject of a verb or as a predicate nominative.

The objective case is used with the objects of the verbs and prepositions as well as with the objects of verbals.

The possessive case of pronouns is used to show possession before nouns and before gerunds. Some possessive pronouns are used by themselves.

The Rule

The famous historian is she. Our closest friends have always been they. We seniors have the most spirit. Our language arts teacher praised Holly and

him. The company gave us students an award.

Correct

Pierre is the one who likes to laugh. [Pierre is the one] he likes to laugh.

Whoever finishes first gets a prize. [he finishes]

Give the book to whomever. [her] Give the book to whoever needs it. [she

needs it]

Who - whom

Walking down the road, he saw a woman accompanied by two children.

Young and inexperienced, the task seemed easy to me.

Playing the trumpet, the parade was enjoyable.

Correct?

A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

Participial phrases preceded by a conjunction or by a preposition, nouns in apposition, adjectives, and adjective phrases come under the same rule if they begin the sentence.

Sentences violating the rule are often ludicrous!

The Rule

Falling from the tree, he saw the monkey before it saw him.

Ridiculous.

He saw the monkey falling from the tree before it saw him.

Ridiculous.

He saw a woman, accompanied by two children, walking down the road.

Young and inexperienced, I thought the task seemed easy.

Playing the trumpet, Elizabeth enjoyed the parade.

Correct!

The truck hit the dog.

The dog was hit by the truck.

Active / Passive

BHS web site/teachers/Collins

http://apelitsurvivalguide.weebly.com