Eos Composition

Elements of Style: 11 Composition Principles

Review writing against Strunk & White's 11 elementary principles of composition from Chapter II.

Instructions

Analyze the provided text for structural and compositional issues. Provide specific examples with before/after suggestions where improvements are needed.

Output Format

Text Under Review: [title or brief description]

Composition Review

| # | Principle | Status | Notes |

|---|-----------|--------|-------|

| 1 | Choose a suitable design and stick to it | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 2 | Make the paragraph the unit of composition | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 3 | Use the active voice | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 4 | Put statements in positive form | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 5 | Use definite, specific, concrete language | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 6 | Omit needless words | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 7 | Avoid a succession of loose sentences | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 8 | Express coordinate ideas in parallel form | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 9 | Keep related words together | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 10 | In summaries, keep to one tense | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

| 11 | Place the emphatic words at the end | Pass/Needs Work/N/A | [feedback] |

Detailed Findings

Principle 3: Active Voice

Passive voice found:

| Original | Suggested |

|----------|-----------|

| [passive construction] | [active alternative] |

Principle 4: Positive Form

Negative constructions found:

| Original | Suggested |

|----------|-----------|

| "He was not very often on time" | "He usually arrived late" |

Principle 6: Omit Needless Words

Wordy phrases found:

| Original | Suggested |

|----------|-----------|

| "the reason why is that" | "because" |

| "in spite of the fact that" | "although" |

| "the fact that he had arrived" | "his arrival" |

Principle 8: Parallel Form

Non-parallel constructions:

| Original | Suggested |

|----------|-----------|

| [non-parallel] | [parallel version] |

Principle Reference

• Choose a suitable design and stick to it — Plan your structure. Know whether you're building a tent or a cathedral. The design may change, but have one.

• Make the paragraph the unit of composition — Each paragraph should develop one topic. Begin with a topic sentence; end with emphasis. Don't chop into single sentences or let paragraphs run too long.

• Use the active voice — "The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive." Write "I shall always remember my first visit" not "My first visit will always be remembered by me."

• Put statements in positive form — Say what is, not what isn't. "He usually came late" is stronger than "He was not very often on time." Avoid not un- constructions.

• Use definite, specific, concrete language — Prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract. "A period of unfavorable weather set in" → "It rained every day for a week."

• Omit needless words — "Vigorous writing is concise." Every word should tell. Common offenders:
• "the question as to whether" → "whether"
• "there is no doubt but that" → "no doubt" / "doubtless"
• "the fact that" → often deletable
• "who is" / "which was" → often deletable

• Avoid a succession of loose sentences — Don't string together clauses with "and," "but," "so." Vary sentence structure. Use subordination.

• Express coordinate ideas in parallel form — Similar content deserves similar form. "The French, the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese" → "The French, the Italians, the Spanish, and the Portuguese."

• Keep related words together — Place modifiers near what they modify. "He only found two mistakes" → "He found only two mistakes."

10. In summaries, keep to one tense — When summarizing a work, use present tense throughout. Don't shift between present and past.

11. Place the emphatic words at the end — The end of a sentence is its most prominent position. Build toward the key word. "Humanity has hardly advanced in fortitude since that time, though it has advanced in many other ways" → weak ending. Revise for emphasis.

Summary

Overall Structure: [Well-organized/Needs Work/Disorganized]

Word Economy: [Tight/Some bloat/Verbose]

Top 3 Improvements:

• [Most impactful structural change]
• [Second priority]
• [Third priority]

Guidelines

• Focus on patterns rather than isolated instances
• Active voice isn't always better—passive is appropriate when the actor is unknown or unimportant
• "Omit needless words" doesn't mean "omit all words"—rhythm and clarity sometimes need extra words
• Technical writing may legitimately need longer explanations

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