Today for
your delectation I have 54 fumblerules of grammar that were written by William
Safire in 1979. I hope you find it as
entertaining as I did!
1.
Remember to never split an infinitive.
2.
A preposition is something never to end a sentence
with.
3.
The passive voice should never be used.
4.
Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.
5.
Don't use no double negatives.
6.
Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it
is appropriate; and never where it isn't.
7.
Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit
it when its not needed.
8. Do not put statements in the negative form.
9. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
10. No sentence fragments.
11.
Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
12. Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
13. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading
a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
14. A writer must not shift your point of view.
15. Eschew dialect, irregardless.
16. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
17. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
18.
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in
long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
19.
Hyphenate between sy-llables and avoid un-necessary
hyphens.
20.
Write all adverbial forms correct.
21.
Don't use contractions in formal writing.
22.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be
avoided.
23.
It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms.
24.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a
linking verb is.
25.
Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have
snuck in the language.
26.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing
metaphors.
27.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
28.
Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
29.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular
pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
30.
If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand
times, resist hyperbole.
31.
Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.
32.
Don't string too many prepositional phrases
together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
33.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
34.
"Avoid overuse of 'quotation
"marks."'"
35.
The adverb always follows the verb.
36.
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague;
They're old hat; seek viable alternatives.
37.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will
do.
38.
Employ the vernacular.
39.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
40.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are
unnecessary.
41.
Contractions aren't necessary.
42.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
43.
One should never generalize.
44.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
45.
Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
46.
Don't be redundant; don't use more words than
necessary; it's highly superfluous.
47.
Be more or less specific.
48.
Understatement is always best.
49.
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
50.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
51.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid
colloquialisms.
52.
Who needs rhetorical questions?
53.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than
understatement.
54.
capitalize every sentence and remember always end
it with a point
I love them. Now I have to put them in practice. :-)
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