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Style Guides Style guides offer guidance to writers on language usage. These guides may give advice specifically for news writing, such as the Associated Press Style Guide, or assist with general English, such as Fowler’s Modern English Usage. Some organisations may have their own specialised style guide for their publications. The MLA Style Manual and The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association are examples of well-known style guides for academics.
Style Guides The Elements of Style A well-known American English style guide is The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. This small guide, published in 1959, gives advice on plain English usage, including elementary rules of usage, principles of composition, words and expressions commonly misused, and an approach to style.
Style Guides Fowler’s Modern English Usage Henry W. Fowler first published the Dictionary of Modern English Usage in 1926 as a reference book covering many issues of usage and pronunciation in English. Since then, the book has been revised and the current edition is Fowler’s Modern English Usage, Third Edition, published in 1996. By comparing the first edition with the more recent one, one can see how the usage of English has changed. For example, the latest edition acknowledges the use of the word breakthrough, which was first used to mean “an advance of troops penetrating a defensive line”; it can now be used to mean “of any significant advance in knowledge achievement, etc.”
Style Guides The King’s English Henry Fowler and his brother, Francis, published The King’s English, a book on English usage and grammar, in 1906. This book has longer articles than Fowler’s Modern English Usage on more general topics such as vocabulary, syntax and punctuation. And, unlike the Dictionary of Modern English Usage, The King’s English has not been updated; however many of its guidelines are still useful today.
Style Guides Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) style is a widely accepted format for writing research papers. This guide outlines a suggested style and organisation for citations in documents, and it gives advice on usage, such as styles of writing to avoid derogatory language.
Style Guides The Complete Plain Words Originally published in 1948 as Plain Words, by Sir Ernest Gowers, The Complete Plain Words is a revised version by Sir Bruce Fraser, published in 1973. This book guides writers on how to use plain English for official writing. It gives guidance for “the choice and arrangement of words in such a way as to get an idea as exactly as possible out of one mind into another. … The scope of the book is … intended primarily for those who use words as tools of their trade, in administration or business.”
Style Guides The Chicago Manual of Style The Chicago Manual of Style, a style guide for American English, published by the University of Chicago Press, prescribes a writing style widely used in publishing. It deals with all aspects of editorial practice, from American English grammar and usage, to document preparation.
Style Guides IMPORTANT NOTE: Writers should choose a style guide based on the purpose and audience of their text. Some style guides may not be accepted by certain organisations and audiences. For example, The Elements of Style is widely used in North America but not in the United Kingdom. The King’s English is considered by some people to be outdated.
