Contents PREFACE i I INTRODUCTORY II ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE 1.Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's................. 3 2.In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction,use a comma after each term except the last... 4 3.Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas·,··,·,·,···,,· 4.Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause....... 6 5.Do not join independent clauses by a comma.,········, 7 6.Do not break sentences in two........................ d 7.A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical 9 8.Divide words at line-ends,in accordance with their formation and pronunciation 10 III ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION 13 9.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 beginning,·, 15 11.Use the active voice 12.Put statements in positive form.... 20 l3.Omit needless words.,...,.,,....,,,....,, 21 14.Avoid a succession of loose sentences 23 l5.Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form,,,·,·,,···,·,··, 24 16.Keep related words together......................... 25 17.In summaries,keep to one tense 27 18.Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end............... 28 IV A FEW MATTERS OF FORM 31 V WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED 35 VI WORDS OFTEN MISSPELLED 45 iContents PREFACE III I INTRODUCTORY 1 II ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE 3 1. Form the possessive singular of nouns with ’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4. Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause . . . . . . . 6 5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6. Do not break sentences in two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8. Divide words at line-ends, in accordance with their formation and pronunciation . 10 III ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION 13 9. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic . . . . 13 10. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 11. Use the active voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 12. Put statements in positive form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 13. Omit needless words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 14. Avoid a succession of loose sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 15. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 16. Keep related words together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 17. In summaries, keep to one tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 18. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 IV A FEW MATTERS OF FORM 31 V WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED 35 VI WORDS OFTEN MISSPELLED 45 i