The Elements of Style

Contents: I. IntroductoryII. Elementary Rules of Usage1. Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's 2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas4. Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma6. Do not break sentences in two7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject8. Divide words at line-ends, in accordance with their formation and pronunciationIII. Elementary Principles of Composition9. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic 10. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning11. Use the active voice12. Put statements i