by Frank L. Visco
My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:
My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:
- Avoid alliteration. Always.
- Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
- Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
- Employ the vernacular.
- Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
- Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
- It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
- Contractions aren't necessary.
- Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
- One should never generalize.
- Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once 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.
- Profanity sucks.
- Be more or less specific.
- Understatement is always best.
- Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
- One-word sentences? Eliminate.
- Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
- The passive voice is to be avoided.
- Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
- Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
- Who needs rhetorical questions?
4 opinionated prattle:
Which one of my blog postings are you referring to? Half those terms were not taught in English when I went to school. What kind of wood is "infinitive", and why can't you split it? I bet my log splitter would whack it in two! Someone once said that "writing is like painting a house, you should liberally spread as much paint as you can to insure the flaws are well hidden". Damm, now there is a rule that states I cannot use profanity! That is an attention getter when you want to make a point! The only rule that I can imagine in what I write that is not listed and I am guilty of is "never abuse a comma". I love commas!
Plumma, you really should watch the video that Shana posted, start the download and walk away. It is 8 minutes long but very well worth the watch and turn up the volume so you can listen to the spectators. Fabulous, nature flick.
I actually watched it, but failed to comment over distractions.
I, also, just clicked "play" on the viewer and watched it's entirety in eight minutes - total. must be Windows 7 there.....I DESIGNED THAT! They MUST be listening!
I thought you had a part in designer Windows 7! Planning on getting me a second lap top, since mine has seen to be taken over and I will never get it back. guess I should get it early so I can learn Windows 7!
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