When it comes to writing, the style proves to be important. It is necessary to be able to write appropriately, adequately, and clearly. Therefore, stylistic rules are useful to study and apply. Since I tend to write too many words, which are not usually required, rule 17 is crucial for me to learn thoroughly and to use efficiently. The rule is about the necessity to omit needless words. It feels like that this is something valuable to keep in mind in the course of writing. There is a great idea conveyed in the rule that “every word should tell” (Strunk and White 34). It implies that the written text should not contain any words which do not carry any meaning. However, the rule does not reject the possibility to go into details, provided the reader really needs them. In fact, the rule instructs how to be to the point and to employ words effectively.
The rule provides great examples of how to replace needless words in writing. In my view, using fewer words and giving more meaning simplifies the understanding and improves the overall impression of the text. Thus, it is rather helpful. Apart from that, I would like to touch upon the problem which learners of English happen to face concerning using needless words. Unfortunately, when it comes to the vocabulary lists, there are many expressions that are supposed to be used by learners of English, which violate the rule. Hence, if English is not a native language, it might be difficult to avoid using unnecessary words. This happens because there are special vocabulary units subject to use at certain levels of language competence. Despite this, omitting needless words is the rule which I will try my best to apply in my writing works for this class and other classes.
Work Cited
Strunk, William, and E. B. Write. Elements of the Style. Abacon, 2003.