Strunk & White 5

          In this last chapter of the book, the authors take a different approach to explain style in writing. The authors give a brief introduction about the style of writing, in which they point out that style is very hard to define. They also talk about how style is the increment of writing that there is no foolproof guide for. After this introduction, the authors go on to give general rules about how to find a style that fits you and your writing. These rules are much less definitive than those of other chapters, and they are a little more open to interpretation in how you chose to define them. The authors, nevertheless, still continue the brief, and right to the point descriptions of each rule to explain their ideas thoroughly.
          I really liked that the authors introduced style as a mystery. I thought the way they approached this chapter was really clever and relatable. Also, I think their rules were practical and good as just general reminders of the dos and don'ts of writing. This was a really strong way to conclude their short book, and I think that all of the ideas that were included in this chapter finished everything really well. I think these past few précis chapters have been my favorite to read so far, and I will probably be keeping them for future reference, because they were certainly helpful as well.

Strunk & White #4

          In this chapter, the authors go over and explain words and expressions that are commonly misused. The title gets right to the point by telling you exactly what you'll be reading within this chapter. Each point starts with a subtitle, or idea of the blurb, in bold print, and a brief explanation following the issues the author has with the misusage of that word. Occasionally, an example will be given to further clarify what the author expresses. The points are alphabetized so a neat and organized structure is established.
          I know that I am definitely guilty of misusing several of these words and phrases, and they are habits that I should break. There were a lot, so I may have trouble remembering all of them, but I have marked the ones in my packet that I commonly mess up. Some of the points seem like simply common sense, but I'm sure that I have probably messed those up somewhere along the way too. I know the authors hit me right away with "Aggravate. Irritate." because I'm almost positive that I mess that up daily. As the chapter went on, I ended up feeling worse and worse about my writing, and I hope that I can catch and consider these mistakes in the future.

Strunk & White #3

In these chapters, the authors talk about the elements of style in writing and some typical details of format. They begin with creating a main design for your paper, and move on to paragraph formation and so on. Instead of simple grammar rules, the book has moved on to formation and structure rules that will help make writing clearer, easier to read, and more organized. I thought the bit about negatives was interesting, because most of the parts seemed like common sense, but that one was not something I'd know right away. I also though Chapter 3 was particularly helpful, as these are rules that I was never taught in school, but always expected to know.
A couple of interesting points I took note on:
In Mr. Halaw's class, we recently discussed active and passive voice, and the section in this reading was a complete flashback to everything we talked about. Also, in the "put statements in positive form" section, there is an example about studying latin being a waste of time. I thought this was particularly ironic. "Omit needless words" was the section that I recall being mentioned in the introduction, and I wonder why here, it is not as prominent as I thought it would be. Lastly, I liked that he ended Chapter 2, with a rule about putting the emphasis on the end. The irony was just killing me... intentional or not. I know this was not the format of a regular precis, but I figure it proves that I actually read, so Mr. V. won't be too mad... Please accept my dearest apology, as it is late, and I have not slept for quite some time.

Strunk & White #2

This chapter was all about grammar rules and usage. Strunk and White gave the first 11 major rules to follow when writing anything in English, especially an essay or research paper. These are rules that generally everyone should know and follow, with 3, 4, 5, and 6 being the most important in the writers's opinion. This chapter covers major grammar mistakes in a concise, straightforward, and not overly confusing way. Of course, one could go on about grammar forever, (Mr. Halaw) but these rules cover the most information with the shortest amount of writing.
I think it's funny that the author(s) chose to begin with the simple rule that they do. I guess because this is such a common question, the author(s) thought it necessary to address it right away, instead of something more complex or insightful. Also, I was a little confused between the restrictive vs. unrestrictive sentences, as I didn't completely understand the difference between them when looking at the examples. Surprisingly enough, I learned a lot about grammar for myself during this chapter. It reminded me of Mr. Halaw's grammar lessons, but much shorter and a little more to the point.

The Elements of Style Foreword and Intro Precis

E.B. White, in the Foreword and Introduction of his revised edition of "The Elements of Style", introduces Will Strunk, and the origins of the book. Will Strunk, White's professor at Cornell pre-1920s, had a "little book" which he used to teach his English 8 course. Strunk eventually passed, and after he did, White was asked to revise and remake his "little book", which included many grammar and language rules of English. White generally kept the book the same, not wanting to lose the character or flavor the professor put into the book, but added a few ideas of his own as well within the introduction and chapter on writing. He seems to think highly of his old professor, as he describes him with the utmost respect and reverence. Strunk himself is characterized as a funny little man with a distinctive, but pleasant personality, who would have been a joy to meet and converse with.
These two sections of the book captured my attention with the slight humor, and story behind the writing. I'll be interested to read Strunk's and White's ideas about writing itself, and the few basic rules that must be followed. I'd like to see how I add up in their eyes (whether I make the mistakes or not while I write). I think that it's so funny that "omit needless words" was his number one rule, because that is something so many people, including myself, struggle with, but is so crucial to strong, concise writing.

Chapter 17 and The Ethics of Research

Chapter 17 talks about revising, and especially about sentence structure. Shaping your sentences so that the reader can understand your argument is incredibly important to make your argument come across clearly. You must present your essay clearly and concise, and Chapter 17 helps to break down sentences so you can do just that. 'The Ethics of Research' mainly concludes the book and wraps up everything the authors have said up until this point. It gives you a couple commandments to follow as going through your research (basically reminders not to do anything unethical), and advises you on the social part of research. When you research, you research for the community, and and dishonest act you perform reflects on them as a whole, not only on yourself. Research is not only for you, but for the society, and sharing it is key to progressing it in the future.
I wasn't overly crazy about Chapter 17, because it was a lot of grammar. It was interesting in the way they explained breaking down sentences to really strengthen your argument, but it was mainly stuff that I already knew. It still had some good input that I will keep in mind while forming my sentences and revising my work. 'The Ethics of Research' was a reminder not to plagiarize, which I know already, thank you very much. I liked the motivational suggestions that research was for the community though, it was a good attempt to make me want to write!

Precis Chapters 14 &16

These chapters talk about revising and introducing/concluding your research essay. Chapter 14 focuses on telling the reader how to revise their essay. The authors explain that revision is important, but especially hard, because you must look at your work from your reader's point of view. They also give you a systematic process by which to go about revising your paper in order to get the most objective look at it. Revising does not simply mean editing, like many new researchers think that it does; it includes looking at all aspects of the paper, right down to the wording of the main argument itself. Chapter 16 focuses on including a strong introduction and conclusion in the research essay. There is a step-by-step process the reader can follow which might help make their beginning and ending stronger and more crisp. I especially enjoyed the part that talks about the first and last few words of the paper, and also the title, as I found them especially helpful.
Revising will come a little later in the writing process for me, so I am not much concerned about chapter 14 right now, but I did find chapter 16 very helpful. Introductions and conclusions are something I'm not overly good with, so this chapter could really guide me through the process of writing really strong ones. Also, I always have trouble with creating a catchy/interesting title, so the little bit about that gave me some useful information as well. When I get around to the revision process, chapter 14 will really come in handy, because it was a really good guide to showing me how to look at my paper. Overall, these chapters were really helpful (I guess they all have been in their own ways) and I will totally refer back to them when I need them in the future.