Strunk links force with economy: prose becomes stronger when each word contributes to the sentence rather than merely increasing its length.
The Elements of Style, Chapter III, Rule 13, Project Gutenberg #37134; this sentence introduces the explanation of “Omit needless words.”
“Omit needless words.”
Conciseness is treated as removal of words that do no useful work, not as a demand that every sentence be short or stripped of necessary detail.
The Elements of Style, Chapter III, Rule 13, Project Gutenberg #37134; the surrounding paragraph explicitly says detail need not be eliminated.
“Use the active voice.”
The rule favors direct sentence construction when it makes agency clearer, while the surrounding discussion still allows passive voice when context requires it.
The Elements of Style, Chapter III, Rule 10, Project Gutenberg #37134; Strunk immediately qualifies the rule by noting legitimate uses of passive construction.
“Use definite, specific, concrete language.”
Concrete and specific wording can reduce interpretive work for the reader by replacing vague generalities with language tied to identifiable actions, objects or details.
The Elements of Style, Chapter III, Rule 12, Project Gutenberg #37134; Strunk follows the heading with examples contrasting vague and concrete phrasing.
“Style, for example, is not—can never be—extraneous Ornament.”
Style is separated from decoration added after the fact; effective prose should grow from the thought, purpose, voice and structure of the writing itself.
On the Art of Writing, Lecture XII, “On Style,” Project Gutenberg #17470; typographic dashes are normalized from the represented plain-text edition.
“Words should serve the fact, and not substitute themselves for it”
Language is assigned a supporting role: words should clarify reality instead of becoming an impressive verbal screen that displaces the thing being discussed.
The Simple Life, Chapter IV, “Simplicity of Speech,” Mary Louise Hendee translation, Project Gutenberg #23092; Wagner criticizes language that replaces fact with display.
“Jargon, which is not so much bad writing as the avoidance of writing.”
Jargon is criticized as evasive language that circles around meaning instead of doing the harder work of choosing direct, responsible words.
On the Art of Writing, Lecture VI, Project Gutenberg #17470; Quiller-Couch is recalling the preceding lecture’s argument about jargon and prose.
