Tham khảo tài liệu 'the complete idiot guide part 35', ngoại ngữ, ngữ pháp tiếng anh phục vụ nhu cầu học tập, nghiên cứu và làm việc hiệu quả | Chapter ZA Don t 60 There Words and Expressions to Avoid 323 Gorgeous George George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Blair one of the most brilliant English stylists ever. In his landmark essay Politics and the English Language Orwell wrote Modern English prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse. He concluded The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one s real and one s declared aims one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms like a cuttlefish squirting out ink. You ve read about Orwell before in this book. He deserves more ink because he nailed style in writing. But Orwell didn t just complain. Fortunately he suggests a number of remedies. I ve yet to come across six guidelines that make more sense than Orwell s. And here they are 1. Never use a metaphor simile or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print. In other words cut all those cliches Danger Will Robinson Proverbs are often confused with clichés but then again I m often confused with Cindy Crawford. Such is the way of the world. Unfortunately I m not Cindy and proverbs aren t clichés. Proverbs are economical phrases that pack a great deal of meaning in a brief wallop a cliché on the other hand is bloated and meaningless. Take My Word for It VI J Steer clear of slanted language too. These are emotion-kf S ally loaded words and phrases HF designed to inflame readers. Describing a lab experiment as viciously maiming helpless rats is an example of slanted language. At its most offensive slanted language descends into propaganda at its best slanted language merely offends readers. 2. Never use a long word where a short one will do. Remember what you learned in Chapter 23 on word choice or diction. 3. If it is possible to cut a word out always cut it out. Look back to Chapter 22. 4. Never use the passive voice
