Strunk and White's Principles Of Composition

Follow These and Write Better

• Choose a suitable design
• Use the active voice
• Put statements in positive form
• Use definite, specific, concrete language
• Omit needless words
• Place yourself in the background
• Write naturally
• Write with nouns and verbs
• Revise and rewrite
• Do not overwrite
• Avoid qualifiers
• Do not affect a breezy manner
• Use orthodox spelling
• Do not explain too much
• Do not construct awkward adverbs
• Avoid fancy words
• Avoid dialect
• Avoid mixing languages
• Prefer the standard to the offbeat

My students should read this book, Elements of Style. They will be better for it. I know I am.

write better

Reduce:

1. Does it move the piece forward?
2. Stand back from the paper and look objectively at the major chunks. Do they all belong?
3. Move in a little closer. Are there paragraphs or sentences the paper could live without?
4. Lean over the pages still closer. Are there idle, cluttering phrases or words?
5. Get out the magnifying glass. Could shorter words express the thought as clearly? Could some words be shortened?

Rearrange:

Unity:

1. Is there a unity of subject and scope?
2. Is there a unified tone and style?
3. Are verb tenses consistent?
4. Are paragraphs and sentences to the point and unified?

Coherence:

1. Are all references unambiguous?
2. Are all words together that belong together?
3. Are the relationships between sentences and ideas clear?
4. Are transitions smooth?

Emphasis:

1. Are all the parts in the right proportion?
2. Are the important things anywhere but in the middle?
3. Have I used effective repetition, variable length, and careful positioning?

Reword:

1. Have I always select the best word, best phrasing, and most effective diction?
2. Do my sentences vary in length and form?
3. Have I scrutinized my verbs? Is the use any of these [am, is, are, was, were, be being, been, will, shall, should, have, having, has had, may, might, must, can, could] a passive verb construction? Could I make any of these active or substitute a noun/preposition in a gerund? Have I used the verb that comes as close as possible to giving the reader an image of the action—without requiring an adverb to make it work?
4. Have I limited modifiers instead of choosing the right noun? Have I used nouns that come as close as possible to describing the subject (or object) without requiring one or more adjectives? Do the nouns paint images, or are they merely vague abstractions? Have I limited parenthetical explanations, modifiers, and clauses? Have I used to concrete details? Have I made my writing live by stimulating the reader’s several senses? Do I have mixed, confused, or dead metaphors?
5. Have I avoided distracters like obscenities, sexisms, dialects, clichés, jargons, misspellings, and misuses?
6. Am I enjoying my writing? Will others enjoy my writing?

adapted from Theodore Cheney's Getting the Words Right

apostolic fathers

For my next desert island bookshelf pick, I would grab my small two volume verison of the Apostolic Fathers (Loeb Edition). These letters have been invaluable for me when I think about the secondary and tertiary ripples of the impact of the incarnation. Somehow, yes, we can understand the first ripple of the "Yes" to Christ that Peter gives or even the awe inspiring conversion of Paul. But, for the second and third ripple of those who did not know Jesus but knew Mark. Here in the Apostolic Fathers (vol. I and vol. II), we see how the good news hits the fan.

My favorite is Ignatius of Antioch:

"I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire."

As I'm seeking coconuts on my desert island, I'll have one of these pretty volumes in my frayed cargo shorts pocket.

summa

Continuing in my series of the Desert Island Bookshelf, I'd like to add another.

If I'm shipwrecked I'll make sure, of course, to have a bookshelf. And on that bookshelf will be my Summa Theologiae by Thomas Aquinas.

My undergraduate education gave me much time with this masterwork and when I began to pursue my graduate work I bought one of those expensive copies that I could read cover to cover. Just like Thomas did not finish writing it, I feel perfectly happy that I have not yet finished reading it. And yet, along with my daily Bible study, I try to read an article a day because as they say, an article a day keeps the metaphysical doctor away. I find Thomas' vision of God dynamic, provident, and intelligent. Alles ist Ordnung. And my Christian faith and metaphyscially-oriented humanity needs that sustaining meal. Somehow, I'm more who I should be as a theologian and as a Christian when I'm near my Summa.

As a side note, in graduate school, my theological friends and I began a group called the Summa Wrestlers. We would meet once a week to read and discuss one question. We got quite far and we were the better for it. If I were on a desert island, I would be Summa wrestling.

welcome back students fall 2014

Greetings and Salutations Students of Fall 2014!

If you're taking my THE 1000C or HON 1050C course, please clicky here.

If you're taking my THE 3215 course, please clicky here.

You're the cat's pajamas.

turning points

Mark Noll on Christianity

I loved using Mark Knoll’s book, Turning Points, for teaching the significant dates of the history of Christianity. I don’t use it any more for various reasons including curriculum changes with our intro to Christianity course. Still, I loved it and here are my reading assignment sheets for it:

Introduction: Assignment 1

Chapter 1 and 2 (Dates: 70 and 352): Assignment 2

Chapter 3 and 4 (Dates: 451 and 530): Assignment 3

Chapter 5 and 6 (Dates: 800 and 1054): Assignment 4

Chapter 7 and 8 (Dates: 1520 and 1534): Assignment 5

Chapter 9 (Dates: 1540): Assignment 6

Chapter 10 and 11 (Dates: 1738 and 1789): Assignment 7

Chapter 12 - 13 and Afterward (Dates: 1910 and 1962-65): Assignment 8

why are we reading this

Your professor (that’s me) has assigned you several required books because he thinks they will guide you to your goal to be a young intellectual and wisdom professional.

Some speak about this current age as the Information Age because so much information is accessible to so many people. Something new has happened in the history of humanity. Time was, one would need to undergo heroic tasks to acquire the information that is now so readily available to you on your phone, wrist, or glasses. There is something great here for the future of humanity, but most use this Information Age to access stupid information. You know what I’m talking about. Now you know, but did you really need to know?

Your educational path with me means that I hope to train you in becoming a wisdom professional — accessing the galactic nebulae of information, guiding them into sun-forming knowledge (something that you know and that’s not just accessible to you) and then transforming it a proper solar system of wisdom (knowledge that now guides you toward being a better you and guides our culture to being a better culture).

That’s me — forming your mind into a solar system — and that’s why we are reading this.

ignatius bible

For my courses, I require a Bible — a good Bible appropriate for academic, theological work that is also primarily respectful of the divine revelation communicated through these words. For Christians, these human words open toward the Word of God. In the course, we will discuss the relationship between these words and the Word. No matter what your faith is, the Bible is one of the central texts of human intellectual history. So get a good one!

You will need a Bible for all my courses. I suggest the Ignatius Bible, which is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE). The RSV is a wonderful translation for its academic accuracy and poetic lyricality. In class we will discuss some of the differences of translations. No English Bible is a perfect translation of the Hebrew and Greek originals, but there are good, better, and best. I think the RSV-CE is the best, but there are other best translations. Please ask if you have questions about your Bible translations.

”Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:4-6)

The Ignatius Bible (RSVCE - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition). Second Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007. Paperback or Kindle. ISBN: 9780898708349.

credo

From the important twentieth-century Catholic theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988), this book offers a deep meditation on the Apostle’s Creed, which is the simplest and most central statement of Christian belief. Understanding the theological meaning of this creed will unlock so much knowledge for you in order to understand Christianity.

“‘I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth’ — That he is Father we know in utmost fullness from Jesus Christ, who constantly makes loving, thankful, and reverent reference to him as his Origin.” (p. 30)

Hans Urs von Balthasar. Credo: Meditations on the Apostle’s Creed. Ignatius Press. 2000. ISBN: 9780898708035. Paperback. Kindle.

on the incarnation

From one of the central Christian theologians of the Early Church, Athanasius (c.296-298 - 373), we are reading his work On the Incarnation (De Incarnatione Verbi Dei).

No matter what your skill level is in reading ancient primary texts, you should be reading about the best from the best. When we desire to learn what early Christianity believed about the person of Jesus Christ, one of the best is Athanasius, who through this work developed significantly the Christian view of God as Trinity.

”For God is good—or rather, of all goodness he is fountainhead, and it is impossible for one who is good to be mean or grudging about anything. Grudging existence to none therefore, he made all things out of nothing through his own Word, our Lord Jesus Christ; and of all these his earthly creatures he reserved especial mercy for the race of men.” (I.i)

Athanasius. On the Incarnation. Fig. Paperback. Kindle ISBN: 9781626309951