Re: RE: Six elementary rules for writing good english

[<poshedly -at- bellsouth -dot- net>]

Methinks the George Orwell quotation(s) were written by a gentleman using the accepted rules of grammar for his time period (first half of the 20th century). The use of commas, for instance, was far more common. It seems that nowadays, we (as a society) try to get away with as little as possible, i.e., cutting back on the use of these little buggers.

For instance, the use of a comma after "mind" (in "Keep in mind George...") is one of those fuzzy areas of the English language. When used as a synonym for the word "and" (for instance, in a series of objects separated by a comma), you're correct. But sometimes, the comma is used to underscore the importance of what was just stated. As in this case. (Oops! an incomplete sentence!) <grin>

Man-oh-man! You can TELL it's a Monday!!

For those who haven't yet heard about or read it, get yourself a copy of "Eats Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss. It's great!! 

http://www.eatsshootsandleaves.com/esl.html

-- Kenpo

 


> 
> From: "Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>
> Date: 2007/08/06 Mon AM 10:30:03 EDT
> To: "'techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: Six elementary rules for writing good english
> 
> 
> There are several errors in the paragraph that introduces the list; I find
> it hard to believe that came from The Economist.
> 
> They include:
> 
> - "Thought I will share..." (should be "Thought I would share..." (It's okay
> to drop the subject "I" in e-mail, but only in e-mail.)
> - "as I found them" (should be "because" I found them)
> - "..want to say, then say..." (should be "...want to say, and then say..."
> ("then" is not a conjunction)
> - No comma should come after "mind" in "Keep in mind George...")
> 
> 
> Bonnie Granat
> http://www.GranatEdit.com
>  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: 
> > techwr-l-bounces+bgranat=granatedit -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com 
> > [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+bgranat=granatedit -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l
> > .com] On Behalf Of Raj Machhan
> > Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 7:46 AM
> > To: techwr-l
> > Subject: Six elementary rules for writing good english
> > 
> > Hi all,
> > 
> > 
> > George Orwell has captured the essence of good English 
> > writing in these six
> > rules. These are as relevant today as they were during 
> > Orwell's time.Thought
> > I will share these with you as I found them especially applicable to
> > technical documentation:
> > Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So 
> > think what you
> > want to say, then say it as simply as possible. Keep in mind, George
> > Orwell's six elementary rules ("Politics and the English 
> > Language", 1946):
> > 
> >    1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of 
> > speech, which you
> >    are used to seeing in print.
> >    2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
> >    3. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out.
> >    4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
> >    5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a 
> > jargon word if
> >    you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
> >    6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright
> >    barbarous.
> > 
> > Best
> > 
> > Raj
> > 
> > Courtesy: The Economist
> 
> 


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