What William Strunk Jr. thinks about simplicity

@william-strunk · 2 positions · 0 changes of mind

American professor of English at Cornell University (1869 to 1946); author of The Elements of Style, written in 1918 for his classes and later revised by his former student E. B. White.

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Only William Strunk Jr. on simplicity. See everyone on simplicity

2 dated positions, c. 1918–1920, in their own words. Our reading of what William Strunk Jr. has said — not written or endorsed by them.

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1. c. 1918–1920

   Our readingVigorous writing is concise: a sentence should have no unnecessary words, for the same reason a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

   Their wordsVigorous 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.

   ↗The Elements of Style (1918)gutenberg.org All 2 from this book

3. c. 1918–1920

   Our readingConcise writing does not mean short sentences or leaving out detail; it means making every word tell.

   Their wordsThis requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that he make every word tell.

   ↗The Elements of Style (1918)gutenberg.org All 2 from this book