I subscribe to a lot of daily and weekly newsletters/blogs/rantings, etc. Some for fun. Some for knowledge. Some to just waste time.
Usually, one or two a week will have a topic that sinks its hooks into me. Aaron will be pleased, because today’s is from George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language,” courtesy of The Daily Heller:
…one can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
For the complete essay, click here.
Sometimes I feel like I’m still in grammar school when writing more than a few words—especially since I have Aaron in the next room. But man, do I appreciate the well-written word in both my work and personal readings.
And having an editor nearby is a plus. Thanks Beav.
