Chapter 1 of The Elements of Style

The Elements of Style is perhaps one of the widely cited and referenced books dedicated to analyzing the craft of grammar and punctuation. Its integrity and popularity may derive from the fact that it was co-authored by acclaimed children's author, E.B. White (Stuart Little) or the simple fact that it is a commendable and brilliantly compiled compendium of grammar. Regardless of the reason, the reference book is admired and read by many.

In the first chapter, we learn a variety of important guidelines. In the first section, we learn the elementary rules of usage. We learn the correct way to form the possessive singular of nouns with 's, we learn to use a comma after each term in a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, how to enclose parenthetic expressions between commas, how and why to place a comma before and or but when introducing an independent clause, and much much more.

We also learn the proper composition of sentences. For instance, the book asserts the reader never to break a sentence into two. In other words, we are encouraged not to use periods as commas. Also, we learn never to join an independent clause with a comma.

Despite the many rules and regulations the book explores, the text is uncomplicated and very straight-forward, making the information extremely accessible to any reader.