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George Orwell On Writing Tips

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  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 a word out, 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.

9 Comments

  • Maury Cheskes

    George Orwell knows his stuff. I like his active over passive rule the most. His guidelines definitely adhere to all readers who want their text plain and simple and more engaging.

  • Glad

    Thanks for the tips they would really come in handy. I do make the mistake of using foreign words or big vocabs instead of sticking the everyday English vocabs. I really do appreciate.

  • Miaka Yuuki

    I may need a refresher course in English word rules for this. Subject verb agreement all that to better understand these points.

  • brainedet

    These writing tips really make sense and good writers should imbibe them. No need making a long write when a short one can suffice.

  • jolly555

    This is like writing thoughts on mable. These are true words and good for efficient writers. I hope we all take this to heart.

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