Elements of Style -- Core Rules
These rules have the highest impact on writing quality. Apply them to all prose output.
Rule 1: Use the active voice
The active voice is more direct and vigorous than the passive.
| Weak (passive) | Strong (active) |
|---|---|
| My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me. | I shall always remember my first visit to Boston. |
| There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground. | Dead leaves covered the ground. |
| The reason that he left college was that his health became impaired. | Failing health compelled him to leave college. |
| It was not long before he was very sorry that he had said what he had. | He soon repented his words. |
Avoid making one passive depend directly upon another. The passive voice is acceptable when the receiver of the action is the topic of the paragraph.
Rule 2: Put statements in positive form
Make definite assertions. Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language. Use not as a means of denial or antithesis, never as evasion.
| Weak (negative evasion) | Strong (positive) |
|---|---|
| He was not very often on time. | He usually came late. |
| not honest | dishonest |
| did not remember | forgot |
| did not pay any attention to | ignored |
| did not have much confidence in | distrusted |
Rule 3: Use definite, specific, concrete language
Prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract.
| Vague | Concrete |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Rule 4: Omit needless words
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 his sentences short, but that he make every word tell.
| Wordy | Concise |
|---|---|
| the question as to whether | whether |
| there is no doubt but that | no doubt |
| used for fuel purposes | used for fuel |
| he is a man who | he |
| in a hasty manner | hastily |
| owing to the fact that | since |
| the fact that he had not succeeded | his failure |
Rule 5: Avoid a succession of loose sentences
Do not construct too many sentences of two co-ordinate clauses joined by and, but, so, who, which, when. Vary sentence structure: use simple sentences, semicolon-joined clauses, periodic sentences, and sentences of three clauses.
Words to Watch
These words often signal weak writing. When you spot them, consider revision:
- case, character, nature -- Usually redundant ("acts of a hostile character" becomes "hostile acts")
- factor, feature -- Hackneyed; replace with something more direct
- interesting -- Don't announce; demonstrate
- very -- Use sparingly; prefer words strong in themselves
- however -- Not to come first in its sentence when meaning "nevertheless"
- literally -- Often incorrectly used to support exaggeration