an odd spelling of the work 'clichis'. is that british spelling?
-james c
OSP - Outstanding Spelling, Punctuation
----- Original Message -----
From: "John F. Kelly Jr." <76067.1750@compuserve.com>
To: "BayArea Team.Net" <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 8:32 AM
Subject: 47 rules for literacy
> Previously I've offered this forum a 10-item list to help improve writing
> quality.
>
> Then this came in today that Really gets to the heart of it all.
> Obviously 47 rules are better than 10.--John Kelly
>
> Things they forgot to put in the Associated Press Manual:
>
> 1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
> 2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
> 3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
> 4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
> 5. Avoid clichis like the plague. (They're old hat.)
> 6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
> 7. Be more or less specific.
> 8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually)
unnecessary.
>
> 9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
> 10. No sentence fragments.
> 11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
> 12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
> 13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's
> highly superfluous.
> 14. One should NEVER generalise.
> 15. Comparisons are as bad as clichis.
> 16. Don't use no double negatives.
> 17. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
> 18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
> 19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
> 20. The passive voice is to be ignored.
> 21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words
> however should be enclosed in commas.
> 22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
> 23. DO NOT use exclamation points and all caps to emphasise!!!
> 24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
> 25. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth
> shaking ideas.
> 26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not
> needed.
> 27. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate
> quotations. Tell me what you know."
> 28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist
> hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.
> 29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
> 30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
> 31. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
> 32. Who needs rhetorical questions?
> 33. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
> 34. The passive voice should never be used.
> 35. Do not put statements in the negative form.
> 36. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
> 37. A writer must not shift your point of view.
> 38. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences
> of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
> 39. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
> 40. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb
> is.
> 41. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
> 42. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
> 43. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular
> nouns in their writing.
> 44. Always pick on the correct idiom.
> 45. The adverb always follows the verb.
> 46. Be careful to use the rite homonym.
> And finally .....
> 47. Proof-read carefully to see if you any words out
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