The Elements of Style Workbook, a stand-alone writing and grammar workbook, honors the original Elements of Style masterpiece by William Strunk, Jr. published in 1920, with relevant updates for modern times. We have adapted Strunk’s original Elements of Style to include essential exercises (with an answer key located in the appendix). These exercises help writers gain command of grammar as well as stylistic structures and devices through guided practice.
Essential for today’s writers, Strunk’s original chapters regarding rules of usage and principles of composition are represented in this Elements of Style Workbook. These original lessons, along with style exercises that teach writers to flex their writing style at will, include grammar concepts, sentence writing, paragraph writing, and style writing exercises that amplify the impact of the original Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
True to Strunk’s original masterpiece, this Elements of Style Workbook addresses the most common grammar and writing issues novice writers face, which are the same grammar and writing issues that have plagued English writers for over a century. We honor Strunk’s identification of these main writing challenges, and do not dilute the prominence of these points with either less difficult lessons or more advanced lessons in regard to either grammar or writing. In this way, we retain Strunk’s original focus on the essentials. We have reproduced these essential lessons here and provided targeted practice to enable writers to strengthen those skills.
While holding true to the original Elements of Style, this Elements of Style Workbook also amplifies some troublesome yet vital stylistic points of practice with the following augmentations:
• Grammar on past perfect
• Expansive style section
• Excerpts from literature masters as style examples and guides
None of these highly useful components were present in the original Elements of Style, nor have they been represented in any Elements of Style edition since then.
Style Types included
The style section draws from Noah Webster’s articulate delineations of style types. Each style type draws from a master of literature illustrating that particular style. Writers are challenged to imitate, recreate, and eventually alter the styles of the given passages by shifting the writing passages from one style to another. The following style types are included:
1. Forceful writing style
2. Vehement writing style
3. Elegant writing style
4. Brief writing style
5. Copious writing style
6. Precise writing style
7. Neat writing style
8. Loose writing style
9. Feeble writing style
10. Plain writing style
11. Diffusive writing style
12. Ornamental writing style
Together, these style types represent the vast majority of writing styles used by literary masters in the English language.
The Elements of Style Workbook--An English writing workbook like no other
With its loyalty to the highly acclaimed and extremely successful original edition of Strunk’s The Elements of Style, augmented by Webster’s clearly defined articulation of style types and supplemented by ample, targeted, and clear exercises for both writing and grammar, The Elements of Style Workbook offers an essential grammar and writing resource like no other. Whether you are beginning your journey to quality writing or would like to refine your command of voice and style, you will find this updated version of a tried-and-true resource, a vital aid to both grammar and writing.
