Contact Information:
Please send all inquiries to:
(click logo)
2. Use familiar words rather than unfamiliar ones.
3. Don't use a long word when a short one will do.
4. Prefer nouns and verbs to adjectives and adverbs.
5. Improve nouns and verbs; be specific rather than general.
6. Check for overused words.
7. Prefer the simple sentence to the complicated.
8. Use parallel structure.
9. Use active voice.
10. Check for consistency of viewpoint.
11. Check for consistency of tense (or logical match-ups).
12. Delete unnecessary words, sentences, and paragraphs.
13. Delete redundancies of thought (repetitions; overkill).
14. Generally, put the words you want to emphasize at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
15. Revise negative thoughts to positive forms.
16. Check for consistency of tone and mood.
17. Avoid foreign words--if used, explain in context or by putting translation in parentheses.
18. Avoid ethnic stereotypes.
19. Avoid sexist terminology and stereotypes.
20. Check spelling.
21. Check punctuation.
22. Show, don't tell.
23. Write to be understood, not to impress.
24. Write clearly and naturally.
These general rules have been seen in a number of places, worded
almost the same everywhere seen.
They cover the basics. Add Strunk & White's Elements of
Style for an even broader base.
* * *
"You've got to know what the rules are before you can break them," is an old saying you've no doubt heard many times. Is it a truism? Faulkner's stream of consciousness was not invented by following the rules. It doesn't follow, however, that if you know the rules, you SHOULD break them. If you know the rules and the language well, you can develop a kind of sense that will guide you past jarring violations and into innovations.
The following oxymoronic rules have been around for some time, too. They've been added to over time, as well.
2. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.
3. Just between you and I, case is important.
4. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
5. Watch out for irregular verbs which has cropped into our language.
6. Of course, there's that old one: Never use a preposition to end a sentence with.
7. Don't use no double negatives.
8. A writer mustn't shift your point of view.
9. When dangling, don't use participles.
10. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.
11. Don't use a run-on sentence you got to punctuate it.
12. About sentence fragments.
13. In letters theme reports articles and stuff like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.
14. Don't use commas, which aren't necessary.
15. Its' important to use apostrophe's right.
16. Don't abbrev.
17. It does matter two spell rite.
18. Check to see if any words out.
19. In my opinion I think that an author when he is writing shouldn't
get into the habit
of making use of too many unnecessary words that he does not really
need.
20. Last but not least, lay off cliches.
These may only be amusing to you if you know the right usage!
- Authors Unknown; assembled by Gloria T. Delamar
(click logo)