Elements of Style

Style

I may be dating myself here, but have you ever heard anyone say, "Wow!  He's got STYLE!"

What does that mean?

Is it the way he carries himself, 
                              addresses others, 
                                  pieces together the aspects of his wardrobe, 
                                       thinks before speaking...

yes, yes, yes, and yes!!

All of those create a man or woman's style.  But what does that have to do with writing?  How can there be a STYLE to writing?  There is.  Trust me, and just as you need to learn the craft of STRUCTURE, you have to learn what works and doesn't work when it comes to STYLE.  After all, STYLE is as important, if not more important, than the STRUCTURE of your writing.

I am a big advocate for those learning the craft of academic writing to always stick to the path...don't deviate from the structure that has been laid out before you.  But if we all master the 'formula' of the structure of writing (see my DRAFTING section), then what makes Sally's writing better than Tom's?  What makes mine different from yours?  It is our STYLE.  Just as an apprentice must duplicate every skill that the master teaches him, carefully following each step, making the same clock-wise turns of the wrench or the same fluid stroke of the paintbrush, so too must one learning to craft a well-written piece start out by following the 'formula'.

Without the formula, the reader can get lost, and when a reader get's lost, he stops reading.  Anytime you write something, you need to remember that you are not writing it for you.  You are writing it for your AUDIENCE.  You want to convey something, and if no one is listening, if everyone has put down your writing, then what good is it?  Writing is about communication.  When the readers can't follow your writing, you are no longer communicating, and you have failed.

While there are many aspects involved in the STYLE of any piece of writing, it is always important to work on the Elements of STYLE that will strengthen or weaken your argument.  The STYLE of a piece of writing helps to convey confidence, professionalism, and strength through the writer's credibility as he pieces it all together.

A writer needs to assert confidence, 

to persuade the reader that he has done his research, 

knows all sides to the topic, and 

is firmly convicted on the stance being taken. 

Just as Academic Writing has its own formula, it also has its own STYLE and flow to it.  As I tell my students every semester, one day you can deviate from this structure, from this format, from this STYLE, but not today, and certainly not next week.  You have to master it first.  You have to know the system backwards and forwards, and only then can you begin to adjust it when the feeling suits you.  I am a university-level English instructor, and so I am paid to train students on the art of writing.  It is an art.  There is skill involved.  But just as every artist learns the tools of the trade, the tricks of the craft, it is only after these lessons are so embedded in your mind that you can see why it makes perfect sense to do it this way.  It is only then that you are able to venture out and try a new technique here or there.  However, if you deviate too far from the path, you risk losing your reader.  Therefore, until you are no longer in the training phase of learning the craft of writing (out of classes), don't veer off the path.  Trust the years of experience your professors have.  Trust the crafters of the English language, and know that everything fits together perfectly for a reason.

Please see the items below to help you write your papers with correct STYLE, while remaining focused on your readers as potential customers.  The goal is to write clearly enough to not confuse or frustrate your reader.  Your STYLE will captivate and entertain the readers, while leading them down your path of persuasion.  You need those readers, just as they need you.  Show them that you not only make sense...you not only are easy to follow as you make logical transitions and provide reliable research to defend your content...show them that you've got STYLE.

• Carry your writing with strength and dignity.
• Be respectful as you address the readers and discuss the other viewpoints.
• Piece together the points of your writing in a way so that holes cannot be poked into it--from any angle.
• Think about your words, consider the viewpoints of your readers, and gently lead the reader to your side.

When you can do that, you'll be the one that everyone looks to as they think to themselves, "Wow!  He's got STYLE!"

The three most important aspects of STYLE are how the writer deals with WORD CHOICE, VOICE, and SENTENCE STRUCTURE.

Style

This section briefly explains the role of style in matters of punctuation, and it compares the two major style guides in the United States: The Chicago Manual of Style and The Associated Press Stylebook.

Bibliography 

(for Style in blue directly above)

Other Matters: Style (2016). The Punctuation Guide. Retrieved from

<http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/other-matters.html>

• Word Choice

How to Identify 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Voice
Why 3rd Person Voice is Critical to an Essay
Ways to Switch From 1st to 3rd person Voice

Writing "Style"
Hansa and Phillip's Writing "Style"
The "Way" You Write is as Important as "What" You Write



Additional Ways to Understand Style

from Paola Brown's Student Learning Tools

Point of View: 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Person
Point of View: Using 1st & 3rd Person in Formal Essays
*Watch part 3 of 4 in the YouTube Video. You can also view this section as a PDF document.
Style: Spoken vs. Written Voice
Writing Style