Review writing against Strunk & White's 21 style principles from Chapter V "An Approach to Style."
Analyze the provided text against each of the 21 style reminders. Focus on actionable feedback with specific examples from the text. Not all principles apply to every piece—mark N/A when appropriate.
Text Under Review: [title or brief description]
| # | Principle | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Place yourself in the background | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 2 | Write naturally | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 3 | Work from suitable design | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 4 | Write with nouns and verbs | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 5 | Revise and rewrite | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 6 | Don't overwrite | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 7 | Don't overstate | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 8 | Avoid qualifiers | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 9 | Don't affect breeziness | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 10 | Use orthodox spelling | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 11 | Don't explain too much | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 12 | Don't construct awkward adverbs | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 13 | Make sure speakers are clear | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 14 | Avoid fancy words | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 15 | Use dialect sparingly | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 16 | Be clear | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 17 | Don't inject opinion | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 18 | Use figures of speech sparingly | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 19 | Don't sacrifice clarity for shortcuts | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 20 | Avoid foreign languages | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
| 21 | Prefer standard to offbeat | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] |
Place yourself in the background — Write to serve the reader, not to show off. Style emerges from content, not from the writer's ego.
Write naturally — Don't consciously imitate others or force an affected style. Write as you would speak to an intelligent friend.
Work from suitable design — Plan your piece. Know your scope and structure before writing extensively.
Write with nouns and verbs — These give writing strength. Adjectives and adverbs are not your principal weapons.
Revise and rewrite — Good writing is rewriting. Don't expect first drafts to be final.
Don't overwrite — Avoid ornate, flowery prose. Rich prose is hard to digest.
Don't overstate — Avoid superlatives and exaggeration. A single overstatement can undermine your credibility.
Avoid qualifiers — Words like "very," "rather," "quite," "pretty," and "little" weaken prose.
Don't affect breeziness — Forced casualness and flip remarks suggest the writer values cleverness over substance.
Use orthodox spelling — Follow standard conventions unless you have good reason not to.
Don't explain too much — Trust the reader. Avoid excessive adverbs after "said" and over-explanatory dialogue tags.
Don't construct awkward adverbs — Avoid forcing "-ly" onto words that don't take it naturally.
— In dialogue, readers must always know who is speaking.
Overall Assessment: [Strong/Needs Revision/Major Issues]
Top 3 Improvements:
$ARGUMENTS
Avoid fancy words — Prefer the plain word to the fancy one. "Home" not "domicile."
Use dialect sparingly — The best dialect writers use minimal deviation from standard language.
Be clear — Clarity is the foundation. Muddiness is not depth; obscurity is not profundity.
Don't inject opinion — Keep personal opinions out unless they serve the work. They mark the egoist.
Use figures of speech sparingly — Metaphors and similes need space. Constant comparison exhausts the reader.
Don't sacrifice clarity for shortcuts — Strong, precise words are better than clever abbreviations.
Avoid foreign languages — Write in English. Foreign phrases can seem pretentious.
Prefer standard to offbeat — Choose established words over trendy or invented ones.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Set up and use 1Password CLI (op). Use when installing the CLI, enabling desktop app integration, signing in (single or multi-account), or reading/injecting/running secrets via op.
CLI to manage emails via IMAP/SMTP. Use `himalaya` to list, read, write, reply, forward, search, and organize emails from the terminal. Supports multiple accounts and message composition with MML (MIME Meta Language).
