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Kindle Notes & Highlights
Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's.
In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
The abbreviation etc., even if only a single term comes before it, is always preceded by a comma.
Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause.
If two or more clauses, grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction, are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.
Do not break sentences in two. In other words, do not use periods for commas.
A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.
Divide words at line-ends, in accordance with their formation and pronunciation.
Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic.
As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning.
the topic sentence comes at or near the beginning; the succeeding sentences explain or establish or develop the statement made in the topic sentence; and the final sentence either emphasizes the thought of the topic sentence or states some important consequence.
Use the active voice.
A common fault is to use as the subject of a passive construction a noun which expresses the entire action, leaving to the verb no function beyond that of completing the sentence.
Put statements in positive form.
Consciously or unconsciously, the reader is dissatisfied with being told only what is not; he wishes to be told what is. Hence, as a rule, it is better to express a negative in positive form.
Omit needless words.
Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form.
Keep related words together.
In summaries, keep to one tense.
The proper place for the word, or group of words, which the writer desires to make most prominent is usually the end of the sentence.
