Music Welcome to Snewscast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snoozecast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. I'm Stephen, and I'll be guest reading tonight's episode. I'm a long time listener to snooze cast, and also the founder of Stereocutour, a studio specializing in music, sound, and voices for animation. You can learn more in the show notes. In my work, my bedtime is pretty erratic, and my mind is busy. But no matter where I am or what's going on, snoozecast has given me a consistent and soothing routine to wind down, clear my head, and get some sleep. So I feel honored to have this opportunity to give back. Thanks, newscast. This episode is brought to you by the Active Voice. Tonight we'll read the first part to the writing style guide, The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk, Jr. in 1918, published in 1920. Strunk was a professor at Cornell University and wrote the book for use at the university. He is best remembered for the version of this guidebook and large to 1959 by his student,

New Yorker writer, E.B. White.

Now in its fourth edition, it is the most frequently assigned book on college syllabuses

and continues to earn both praise and criticism over a century after its first publication. Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your bed. Now It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention on a few essentials. The rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated. It lays down three rules for the use of the comma, instead of a score or more, and one for the use of the semi-colon. In the belief that these four rules provide for all the internal punctuation that is required by 19 sentences out of 20. Similarly, it gives in chapter 3 only those principles of the paragraph and the sentence, which are of the widest application. The book thus covers only a small portion of the field of English style. The experience of its writer has been that once passed the essentials, students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work, and that each instructor has his own body of theory, which he may prefer to that offered by any textbook. The best writers sometimes disregard the rules of rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader will usually find the sentence some compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of doing as well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned by their guidance to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look for the secrets of style to the study of the Masters of Literature.

CHAPTER 2 Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding apostrophe S. Tell this rule, whatever the final consonant.

Thus, right.

Charles's friend, Burns's poems, The Witch's Malice. This is the usage of the United States Government Printing Office and of the Oxford University Press. Exceptions are the possessive of ancient proper names ending in E.S. and I.S. The possessive Jesus and such forms as for conscience, sake, for righteousness, sake, such forms as for conscience, sink, for righteousness, sink. But such forms as Achilles' heel, Moses' laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by the heel of Achilles' the laws of Moses, the temple of ISIS. The pronominal possessives hers, its theirs, yours and oneself have no apostrophe. 2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each

term except the last. Thus, right, red, comma, white, comma, and blue.

Gold, comma, white, comma, and blue. Gold, comma, silver, comma, or copper. He opened the letter, comma, reddit, comma, and made a note of its contents. This is also the usage of the government printing office and of the Oxford University Press. In the names of business firms, the last comma is omitted as brown, comma, shipply, and company. Three, and close parenthetic expressions between Kama's. The best way to see a country, Karma, unless you are pressed for time, Karma, is to travel on foot. This rule is difficult to apply. It is frequently hard to decide whether a single word, such as, however, or a brief phrase, is or is not parenthetic. If the interruption to the flow of the sentence is but slight, the writer may safely omit the commas. But whether the interruption be slight or considerable, he must never insert one comma and omit the other. Such punctuation as Marjorie's husband, comma, Colonel Nelson paid us a visit yesterday, or my brother you You will be pleased to hear, comma is now in perfect health, is indefensible. If a parenthetic expression is preceded by a conjunction, place the first comma before the conjunction, not after it. He saw us coming, comma, and unaware that we had learned of his treachery, comma, greeted us with a smile. Always to be regarded as parenthetic and to being closed between commas,

or at the end of the sentence between comma and period are the following.

One, the year when forming part of a date and the day of the month when following the day of the week.

February to July, 1916, April 6, 1917, Monday, November 11, 1918. Two, the abbreviations, etc., and junior. Three, non-restrictive relative clauses, that is, those which do not serve to identify or define the antecedent noun and similar clauses introduced by conjunctions indicating time or place. The audience, comma, which had at first been indifferent, comma, became more and more

interested. The audience, comma, which had at first been indifferent, comma, became more and more interested, what audience is in question is supposed to be already known. The clause adds parenthetically, a statement supplementing that in the main clause. The sentence is virtually a combination of two statements which might have been made independently. The audience had at first been in different period. It became more and more interested period. Compare the restrictive relative clause, not set off by commas in the sentence. The candidate who best meets these requirements will obtain the place. Here the clause introduced by U does serve to tell which of several possible candidates is meant. The sentence cannot be split up into two independent statements. The difference in punctuation in the two sentences following is based on the same principle. Nether Stauy, who are Colouridge wrote, the rhyme of the ancient Mariner, comma, is a few miles from Bridgewater. The day will come when you will admit your mistake. Another story is completely identified by its name. The statement about choleraj is therefore supplementary and parenthetic. The day spoken of is identified only by the dependent clause, which is therefore restrictive. Similar in principle, to the enclosing of parenthetic expressions between commas, is the setting off by commas of phrases or dependent clauses preceding or following the main clause of a sentence.

Partly by hard-fiting comma, partly by diplomatic skill, comma, they enlarged their dominions to the east, comma, and rose to royal rank with the possession of Sicily.

Common exchange. to the east, comma, and rose to royal rank with the possession of Sicily, comma exchanged

afterwards for Sardinia. The writers should be careful not to set off independent clauses by commas 4.

Place a comma before a conjunction introducing a coordinate clause. The early records of the city have disappeared, comma, and the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed period. The situation is perilous, comma. There is still one chance of escape, period. Sentences of this type, isolated from their context, may seem to be in need of rewriting. As they make complete sense when the comma is reached, the second clause has the appearance of an afterthought. Further, AND is the least specific of connectives. Used between independent clauses, it indicates only that a relation exists between them without defining that relation. In the example above, the relation is that of cause and result. The two sentences might be rewritten as the early records of the city have disappeared comma. The story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed. Although the situation is perilous, comma, there is still one chance of escape. Or the subordinate clauses might be replaced by phrases. Owing to the disappearance of the early records of the city, comma, the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed. In this perilous situation, come. There is still one chance of escape, but a writer may err by making his sentences too uniformly compact and periodic. And an occasional loose sentence prevents the style from becoming too formal and gives the reader a certain relief. Consequently, loose sentences of the type first quoted are common in easy, unstudied writing.

But a writer should be careful not to construct too many of his sentences after this pattern. Two parts sentences of which the second number is introduced by as, in the sense of, because 4, or, nor, and while in the sense of and at the same time. Likewise require a comma before the conjunction. If the second member is introduced by an adverb, a semi-colon, not a comma is required. The connectives, cell and yet may be used, either as adverts or as conjunctions. Accordingly, as the second clause is felt to be coordinate or subordinate. Consequently, either mark of punctuation may be justified. But these uses of so, equivalent to accordingly, or to so that, are somewhat colloquial and should as a rule be avoided in writing. A simple correction, usually serviceable, is to omit the word so, and begin the first clause with as or since. I had never been in the place before, semicolon, so I had difficulty in finding my way about. As I had never been in the place before, comma, I had difficulty in finding my way about. If a dependent clause or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by a comma proceeds the second independent clause. No comma is needed after the conjunction. The situation is perilous, comma. But if we are prepared to act promptly, comma, there is still one chance of escape. When the subject is the same for both clauses and is expressed only once, a comma is required if the connective is but. If the connective is and, the comma should be omitted if the relation between the two statements is close

or immediate. I have heard his arguments, comma, but am still unconvinced. He has had several Here's experience and is thoroughly competent.

5.

Do not join independent clauses by a comma. If two or more clauses, grammatically complete, and not joined by a conjunction, are to form a single compound sentence. The proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon. Stevenson's romances are entertaining, semicolon. They are full of exciting adventures. It is nearly half past five semicon. We cannot reach town before dark. It is, of course, equally correct to write the above as two sentences each, replacing the semi-colons by periods. Stevenson's romances are entertaining, period. They are full of exciting adventures. It is nearly half past five, period. We cannot reach town before dark.

If a conjunction is inserted, the proper mark is a comma.

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