Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Masters of the obvious

The last post was all about words. Finding THE one. For me that's serious business.

This post is merely comic relief, as a reminder of things we should know - should be obvious - but are easy to forget:

Do not put statements in the negative form.

And don't start sentences with a conjunction.

If you reread your work, you will find on rereading
that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.

De-accession euphemisms.

If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.


~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"



Have any of your own to share?

2 comments:

Vanessa Leigh DeBello said...

Unfortunatley, I have made all these mistakes at one time. Getting better though!

Anonymous said...

Think about the AFFECT your words will have on your reader.

Don't send criminals to a PENILE colony, even if they are testosterone-challenged.