http://www.bartleby.com/116/101.html#3

H.W. Fowler (1858�1933). The King�s English, 2nd ed. 1908.

ANY one who wishes to become a good writer should endeavour, before he allows himself to be tempted by the more showy qualities, to be direct, simple, brief, vigorous, and lucid.

This general principle may be translated into practical rules in the domain of vocabulary as follows:�

Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched.
Prefer the concrete word to the abstract.
Prefer the single word to the circumlocution.
Prefer the short word to the long.
Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance. 1

These rules are given roughly in order of merit; the last is also the least. It is true that it is often given alone, as a sort of compendium of all the others. In some sense it is that: the writer whose percentage of Saxon words is high will generally be found to have fewer words that are out of the way, long, or abstract, and fewer periphrases, than another; and conversely. But if, instead of his Saxon percentage's being the natural and undesigned consequence of his brevity (and the rest), those other qualities have been attained by his consciously restricting himself to Saxon, his pains will have been worse than wasted; the taint of preciosity will be over all he has written. Observing that translate is derived from Latin, and learning that the Elizabethans had another word for it, he will pull us up by englishing his quotations; he will puzzle the general reader by introducing his book with a foreword. Such freaks should be left to the Germans, who have by this time succeeded in expelling as aliens a great many words that were good enough for Goethe. And they, indeed, are very likely right, because their language is a thoroughbred one; ours is not, and can now never be, anything but a hybrid; foreword is (or may be) Saxon; we can find out in the dictionary whether it is or not; but preface is English, dictionary or no dictionary; and we want to write English, not Saxon. Add to this that, even if the Saxon criterion were a safe one, more knowledge than most of us have is needed to apply it. Few who were not deep in philology would be prepared to state that no word in the following list (extracted from the preface to the Oxford Dictionary) is English:�battle, beast, beauty, beef, bill, blue, bonnet, border, boss, bound, bowl, brace, brave, bribe, bruise, brush, butt, button. Dr. Murray observes that these 'are now no less "native", and no less important constituents of our vocabulary, than the Teutonic words'.

Nevertheless I endlessly delight in the connections between modern English and the modern Romance languages.

Steve, you are right about Fred Reed; sometimes he issues lumps of obnoxiousness.

But always some pearls of wisdom...

Indeed. And I say "never say die."

;D

Something to consider.

That I have encountered, and that is what keeps me from reading anymore of his commentaries. (Additionally, he writes as if he is passed his limit of alcohol consumption, plus his sense of humor and mine are not in sync.) I depend on the occasional synopsis from Marshall to stay current on his worthwhile comments.

I admire George Orwell's essay on writing clearly.

Word play... I do like it. The pen is, indeed, often mightier than the sword.

Marshall, good for you!

And you received the response that even I could have predicted. ;0)

At first glance refreshing, but it gets old quick.

I agree that there are those people. There are also the people whose writing seems so careless to me that they come off (to me) as one or more of these: arrogant, ignorant, or loaded; or any combination of these.

I've noticed the lack of using forms of the verb "to be" in speaking and writing (even here on the forums) and have never known if that is a regionalism or exactly what. The clothes need washed; he needs gone for a bit, etc.

I don't know why that particular thing bothers me more than anything I can put my finger on - I suppose because it sounds and reads sadly untutored.

There are many, many antonyms and synonyms available for use... why limit one's speech OR writings to the ordinary... or use a word that doesn't quite catch the tone in the proper manner?

I happen to write very much the way I speak... hence the triple dots marking a pause... longer than a comma's worth, but not quite the end of a thought needing a period.

The trick with the written word, I think, is to decipher everyone's style, so we know exactly what they mean.

IMO, good writing skills is the ability to put ordinary words together in an extrodinary and interesting manner. In other words (s'cuse the pun), it's the sum of its parts.

I grew up with both Fowler books at boarding school, before moving to America and learning another language entirely, as well as Latin with a Virginia accent. 'The King's English' and 'Modern English Usage' are both still on my bookshelf, though not consulted enough.

I love all the varieties of English spoken around the world - that is what has kept the language so dynamic and vibrant, and thank Goodness we don't have any form of 'Academy' fighting to keep the language 'pure'.

Best wishes
Jon

Best wishes
Jon

It can also be an attempt to show off or it can be an attempt to hide other personal deficiencies.

One of the key rules to be aware of in all writing (and public speaking) is to know your audience. If you don't know your audience, all the bloviation one can come up with will be very self defeating.

And style is not some external coat one slips into and out of. Style is more effective and coherent thinking.

Lots of big fancy words and pretentious phrasings are more like gaudy bright-colored boas, especially if you wear several of them--they might get someone's attention, but aren't necessary for most situations since they are intended to distract from the poverty of ideas in the expressions.

Of course, if you are just asking for directions to the next town, the clearest, most direct language is not only sufficient but probably also the best.

Kate's rules of language for today. : )

Kate

Bloviation should be relegated to the "simply showing off" shelf or occasionally to that place for limp attempts at self promotion.

Some seem to lose precision in putting down thoughts - we get the thought followed by ten paragraphs explaining it in different ways.

He is stating that our language reflects the dumbing-down of our culture, and the increasing reduction of all to the lowest common denominator, the trashing of high standards.

The one thing I would take issue with is rhe preference of the Saxon derived word to those words with roots in the Romance languages. I am fascinated with the time period in English history, after 1066, after William the Conqueror invaded England, when so many French words entered the common language of that day, resulting in a new richness.

Symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder, if you ask me.

(Source: Maximum Awesome; Image: William Safire in 1968, courtesy of NYTimes.)

Remember to never split an infinitive.
A preposition is something never to end a sentence with.
The passive voice should never be used.
Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.
Don't use no double negatives.
Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.
Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.
Do not put statements in the negative form.
Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
No sentence fragments.
Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
Eschew dialect, irregardless.
And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Hyphenate between sy-llables and avoid un-necessary hyphens.
Write all adverbial forms correct.
Don't use contractions in formal writing.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole.
Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.
Don't string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
"Avoid overuse of 'quotation "marks."'"
The adverb always follows the verb.
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; They're old hat; seek viable alternatives.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Employ the vernacular.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
Contractions aren't necessary.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
One should never generalize.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
Be more or less specific.
Understatement is always best.
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Who needs rhetorical questions?
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with a point

At the link is a utube about a radio show that broadcasts in pidgin - the woman talking about imported pharmaceuticals is almost incomprehensible to my ears, thats the serious stuff. The radio jock is the one who's funny.

And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!

Those two rules would eliminate a good many thread titles.

AND WHAT IS OBAMA'S EXCUSE NOW!!!