1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Never use a long
word when a diminutive one will do.
3. If you start a thought be sure to .
. .
4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
5. Employ the
vernacular.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. Remember to never split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren't
necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One
should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson
said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
12. Comparisons are as
bad as clichés.
13. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than
necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. Be more or less specific.
15.
Understatement is always best.
16. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
17.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
18. The passive voice is
to be avoided.
19. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
20. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
21. Who
needs rhetorical questions?
22. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than
understatement.
23. Don't never use a double negation.
24. capitalize
every sentence and remember always end it with point
25. Do not put
statements in the negative form.
26. Verbs have to agree with their
subjects.
27. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
28. If you
reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be
avoided by rereading and editing.
29. A writer must not shift your point of
view.
30. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a
preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
31. Don't overuse
exclamation marks!!
32. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in
long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
33. Writing
carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
34. If any word is
improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
35. Take the bull by
the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
36. Avoid trendy locutions that sound
flaky.
37. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with
singular nouns in their writing.
38. Always pick on the correct idiom.
39. The adverb always follows the verb.
40. Last but not least, avoid
clichés like the plague; They're old hat; seek viable
alternatives. |
