SUGGESTIONS AS TO THE PROPER USE OF AMERICAN ENGLISH (William Strunk, Jr.) The rules of usage are not arbitrary; they are based on the principles of good writing. These principles include clarity, precision, and economy of expression. The following suggestions are offered as a guide to effective communication. 1. Form possessives by adding 's to singular nouns and s' to plural nouns ending in s. For example: the boy's book, the boys' books. 2. Use the subjunctive mood to express conditions contrary to fact or hypothetical situations. For example: If I were you, I would go. It is essential that he be present. 3. Avoid using double negatives. In standard English, two negatives cancel each other out, resulting in a positive meaning. For example: "I don't have no money" should be "I don't have any money." 4. Use active voice whenever possible. Active sentences are usually more direct and forceful than passive ones. For example: "The cat chased the mouse" is better than "The mouse was chased by the cat." 5. Avoid using unnecessary words. Concise writing is clearer and more engaging. For example: "Due to the fact that" can be replaced with "Because." 6. Use correct pronoun case. Use subjective pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) when the pronoun is the subject of a sentence. Use objective pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) when the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition. For example: "She and I went to the store" (subject) vs. "The teacher gave the books to her and me" (object). 7. Avoid split infinitives if possible, though this rule is often relaxed in modern usage. An infinitive consists of "to" plus the base form of a verb (e.g., to run). Splitting it means inserting an adverb between "to" and the verb (e.g., to quickly run). While sometimes acceptable for clarity or emphasis, it is generally best to avoid it. 8. Use parallel structure in lists and comparisons. Elements in a list or comparison should have the same grammatical form. For example: "She likes reading, writing, and swimming" (all gerunds) is better than "She likes reading, to write, and swim." 9. Avoid dangling modifiers. A modifier should clearly refer to the word it modifies. For example: "Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful" implies the trees were walking. Correct: "Walking down the street, I thought the trees looked beautiful." 10. Use commas correctly. Commas are used to separate items in a list, after introductory elements, before conjunctions joining independent clauses, and around non-essential information. For example: "I bought apples, oranges, and bananas." "After the rain stopped, we went outside." These suggestions are not meant to be rigid rules but rather guidelines for clear and effective writing. Practice and attention to detail will help improve your writing skills.