--- name: eos-style description: Strunk & White style review using the 21 reminders from "Elements of Style" Chapter V. Use when editing prose, reviewing drafts, or improving writing clarity and tone. user-invocable: true --- # Elements of Style: 21 Style Reminders Review writing against Strunk & White's 21 style principles from Chapter V "An Approach to Style." ## Instructions Analyze the provided text against each of the 21 style reminders. Focus on actionable feedback with specific examples from the text. Not all principles apply to every piece—mark N/A when appropriate. ### Output Format **Text Under Review**: [title or brief description] --- ## Style Review | # | Principle | Status | Notes | |---|-----------|--------|-------| | 1 | Place yourself in the background | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 2 | Write naturally | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 3 | Work from suitable design | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 4 | Write with nouns and verbs | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 5 | Revise and rewrite | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 6 | Don't overwrite | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 7 | Don't overstate | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 8 | Avoid qualifiers | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 9 | Don't affect breeziness | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 10 | Use orthodox spelling | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 11 | Don't explain too much | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 12 | Don't construct awkward adverbs | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 13 | Make sure speakers are clear | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 14 | Avoid fancy words | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 15 | Use dialect sparingly | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 16 | Be clear | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 17 | Don't inject opinion | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 18 | Use figures of speech sparingly | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 19 | Don't sacrifice clarity for shortcuts | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 20 | Avoid foreign languages | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | | 21 | Prefer standard to offbeat | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [specific feedback] | --- ## Key Issues Found ### High Priority - [Issue with specific example and suggested fix] ### Medium Priority - [Issue with specific example and suggested fix] --- ## Principle Reference 1. **Place yourself in the background** — Write to serve the reader, not to show off. Style emerges from content, not from the writer's ego. 2. **Write naturally** — Don't consciously imitate others or force an affected style. Write as you would speak to an intelligent friend. 3. **Work from suitable design** — Plan your piece. Know your scope and structure before writing extensively. 4. **Write with nouns and verbs** — These give writing strength. Adjectives and adverbs are not your principal weapons. 5. **Revise and rewrite** — Good writing is rewriting. Don't expect first drafts to be final. 6. **Don't overwrite** — Avoid ornate, flowery prose. Rich prose is hard to digest. 7. **Don't overstate** — Avoid superlatives and exaggeration. A single overstatement can undermine your credibility. 8. **Avoid qualifiers** — Words like "very," "rather," "quite," "pretty," and "little" weaken prose. 9. **Don't affect breeziness** — Forced casualness and flip remarks suggest the writer values cleverness over substance. 10. **Use orthodox spelling** — Follow standard conventions unless you have good reason not to. 11. **Don't explain too much** — Trust the reader. Avoid excessive adverbs after "said" and over-explanatory dialogue tags. 12. **Don't construct awkward adverbs** — Avoid forcing "-ly" onto words that don't take it naturally. 13. **Make sure speakers are clear** — In dialogue, readers must always know who is speaking. 14. **Avoid fancy words** — Prefer the plain word to the fancy one. "Home" not "domicile." 15. **Use dialect sparingly** — The best dialect writers use minimal deviation from standard language. 16. **Be clear** — Clarity is the foundation. Muddiness is not depth; obscurity is not profundity. 17. **Don't inject opinion** — Keep personal opinions out unless they serve the work. They mark the egoist. 18. **Use figures of speech sparingly** — Metaphors and similes need space. Constant comparison exhausts the reader. 19. **Don't sacrifice clarity for shortcuts** — Strong, precise words are better than clever abbreviations. 20. **Avoid foreign languages** — Write in English. Foreign phrases can seem pretentious. 21. **Prefer standard to offbeat** — Choose established words over trendy or invented ones. --- ## Summary **Overall Assessment**: [Strong/Needs Revision/Major Issues] **Top 3 Improvements**: 1. [Most impactful change] 2. [Second priority] 3. [Third priority] ## Guidelines - Focus on patterns, not isolated instances - Some rules can be broken intentionally for effect—note when this seems intentional - "Needs Work" means a pattern of violations, not a single instance - Technical or specialized writing may legitimately use jargon - Creative writing may intentionally break rules for voice $ARGUMENTS