Thread: What are the standard conventions of American prose?

Is it a list of some rules for writing American prose?

What sort of rules are you thinking of? Formatting rules, grammar rules, something else?

Originally Posted by Atys

What sort of rules are you thinking of? Formatting rules, grammar rules, something else?

I was hoping for a definition.

Well the OED says,

a. Language in the form in which it is typically written (or spoken), usually characterized as having no deliberate metrical structure (in contrast with verse or poetry).Other features sometimes considered as distinguishing prose from poetry include the avoidance of elaboration and of metaphorical language, and factual or informative rather than imaginative content; however, the distinction is not always clear-cut and might be drawn differently in different historical periods. Cf. prose poem n. at Compounds 2, purple prose n. at purple adj. and n. Special uses 2c.

Not sure if American prose would differ from prose from any other region though.