Chapter 1: Elementary Rules of Usage

This chapter outlines eleven rules for correct English usage, focusing on forming possessives, the proper use of commas, colons, and dashes, ensuring noun-verb agreement, using pronoun cases correctly, and handling participial phrases. Each rule is accompanied by examples of both correct and incorrect usage, along with explanations. The chapter is not exhaustive (for instance, it does not cover every use of commas); instead, it highlights areas where the authors believed errors were prevalent at the time.

Chapter 2: Elementary Principles of Composition

This chapter presents another set of eleven rules aimed at improving the structure of written work. It covers everything from the overall layout of a piece (‘‘Choose a suitable design and hold to it’’) to the arrangement of sentences (‘‘Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end’’). Each rule is supported by examples and further elaboration. The authors draw on excerpts from celebrated writers such as Jean Stafford and E. M. Forster to illustrate effective composition.

Chapter 3: A Few Matters of Form

This concise chapter addresses the physical presentation of written work, focusing on its appearance on the page. Topics include margins, headings, and the placement of punctuation marks in relation to parentheses.

Chapter 4: Words and Expressions Commonly Misused

This extensive chapter, the last part of Strunk’s original manuscript, is a collection of words and phrases that are frequently misused, with explanations and examples provided. It starts with ‘‘aggravate’’ and ‘‘irritate,’’ clarifying that they are not synonyms; ‘‘irritate’’ means ‘‘to annoy,’’ while ‘‘aggravate’’ means ‘‘to worsen an already annoying situation.’’ Similar clarifications are made for pairs like ‘‘alternate’’ and ‘‘alternative,’’ ‘‘among’’ and ‘‘between,’’ among others.

Strunk and White consider a word misused if it is used with the wrong meaning in a sentence or if it adds no value. For instance, they indicate that ‘‘character’’ is misused in the phrase ‘‘acts of a hostile character,’’ suggesting it be simplified to ‘‘hostile acts.’’

Chapter 5: An Approach to Style (With a List of Reminders)

This chapter, added by White to the original manuscript, begins by explaining his definition of ‘‘style’’: ‘‘Style is the sense of what is distinguished and distinguishing.’’ White elaborates:

Style is an enhancement in writing. When we discuss [F. Scott] Fitzgerald’s style, we’re not referring to his command of the relative pronoun; we mean the auditory quality his words create on paper. Every writer, through their unique use of language, reveals something of their spirit, habits, abilities, and biases.

White uses examples from Thomas Paine's famous line, "These are the times that try men's souls," and Thomas Wolfe to illustrate that while many different constructions can effectively convey meaning (such as "Times like these try men's souls"), often a specific phrasing is more pleasing, impactful, and memorable than other options. White asserts that the ability to express an idea powerfully is a key aspect of style. He further notes that some writers have such unique styles that their "voices" on paper become as recognizable to readers as their spoken voices. To illustrate this point, he includes quotes from William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, and Walt Whitman.

After defining what style is, White provides twenty-one suggestions aimed at helping novice writers develop their own styles. Some of these recommendations focus on technical details, such as avoiding weak qualifiers like "rather" and "very," and using standard spelling, for example, "through" instead of "thru." Other suggestions address more subjective matters, such as "Do not explain too much" and "Place yourself in the background." By the latter, White means that effective writing should draw the reader's attention to the content and meaning, rather than the author's mood and personality.