ELEMENTS OF STYLE (UPDATED 2011 EDITION) The All-Time Bestselling Bohe Elements of Style by & Press, The Elements of Style & Hong, Chris [11]
In III.ii (still better, simply insert III.ii in parenthesis at the proper place in the sentence)
After the killing of Polonius, Hamlet is placed under guard (IV. ii. 14).
2 Samuel i:17-27
Othello II.iii 264-267, III.iii. 155-161
Titles. For the titles of literary works, scholarly usage prefers italics with capitalized initials. The usage of editors and publishers varies, some using italics with capitalized initials, others using Roman with capitalized initials and with or without quotation marks. Use italics (indicated in manuscript by underscoring), except in writing for a periodical that follows a different practice. Omit initial A or The from titles when you place the possessive before them.
The Iliad; the Odyssey; As You Like It; To a Skylark; The Newcomes; A Tale of Two Cities; Dickens's Tale of Two Cities.
V. WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED
(Many of the words and expressions here listed are not so much bad English as bad style, the commonplaces of careless writing. As illustrated under Feature, the proper correction is likely to be not the replacement of one word or set of words by another, but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement.)
All right. Idiomatic in familiar speech as a detached phrase in the sense, "Agreed," or "Go ahead." In other uses better avoided. Always written as two words.
As good or better than. Expressions of this type should be corrected by rearranging the sentence.
My opinion is as good or better than his. > My opinion is as good as his, or better (if not better).
As to whether.Whether is sufficient; see under Rule 13.
Bid. Takes the infinitive without to. The past tense is bade.
Case. The Concise Oxford Dictionary begins its definition of this word: "instance of a thing's occurring; usual state of affairs." In these two senses, the word is usually unnecessary.
In many cases, the rooms were poorly ventilated. > Many of the rooms were poorly ventilated.
It has rarely been the case that any mistake has been made. > Few mistakes have been made.
Certainly. Used indiscriminately by some speakers, much as others use very, to intensify any and every statement. A mannerism of this kind, bad in speech, is even worse in writing.
Character. Often simply redundant, used from a mere habit of wordiness.
Acts of a hostile character > Hostile acts
Claim, vb. With object-noun, means lay claim to. May be used with a dependent clause if this sense is clearly involved: "He claimed that he was the sole surviving heir." (But even here, "claimed to be" would be better.) Not to be used as a substitute for declare, maintain, or charge.
Compare. To compare to is to point out or imply resemblances, between objects regarded as essentially of different order; to compare with is mainly to point out differences, between objects regarded as essentially of the same order. Thus life has been compared to a pilgrimage, to a drama, to a battle; Congress may be compared with the British Parliament. Paris has been compared to ancient Athens; it may be compared with modern London.
Clever. This word has been greatly overused; it is best restricted to ingenuity displayed in small matters.
Consider. Not followed by as when it means, "believe to be." "I consider him thoroughly competent." Compare, "The lecturer considered Cromwell first as soldier and second as administrator," where "considered" means "examined" or "discussed."
Dependable. A needless substitute for reliable, trustworthy.
Due to. Incorrectly used for through, because of, or owing to, in adverbial phrases: "He lost the first game, due to carelessness." In correct use related as predicate or as modifier to a particular noun: "This invention is due to Edison;" "losses due to preventable fires."
Effect. As noun, means result; as verb, means to bring about, accomplish (not to be confused with affect, which means "to influence").
As noun, often loosely used in perfunctory writing about fashions, music, painting, and other arts: "an Oriental effect;"