The Elements of Style · Chapter II

Elementary Rules of Usage

1. 1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.
2. 2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
3. 3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.
4. 4. Place a comma before a conjunction introducing a co-ordinate clause.
5. 5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma.
6. 6. Do not break sentences in two.
7. 7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.