tailieunhanh - The elements of style part 6

Even after I got through tampering with it, it was still a tiny thing, a barely tarnished gem. Seven rules of usage, eleven principles of composition, a few matters of form, and a list of words and expressions commonly misused — that was the sum and substance of Professor Strunk's work. | For more material and information please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at as a reason for not appearing at the dedicatory ceremonies of a cat hospital. But bear in mind that your opinion of cats was not sought only your services as a speaker. Try to keep things straight. 18. Use figures of speech sparingly. The simile is a common device and a useful one but similes coming in rapid fire one right on top of another are more distracting than illuminating. Readers need time to catch their breath they can t be expected to compare everything with something else and no relief in sight. When you use metaphor do not mix it up. That is don t start by calling something a swordfish and end by calling it an hourglass. 19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity. Do not use initials for the names of organizations or movements unless you are certain the initials will be readily understood. Write things out. Not everyone knows that MADD means Mothers Against Drunk Driving and even if everyone did there are babies being born every minute who will someday encounter the name for the first time. They deserve to see the words not simply the initials. A good rule is to start your article by writing out names in full and then later when your readers have got their bearings to shorten them. Many shortcuts are self-defeating they waste the reader s time instead of conserving it. There are all sorts of rhetorical stratagems and devices that attract writers who hope to be pithy but most of them are simply bothersome. The longest way round is usually the shortest way home and the one truly reliable shortcut in writing is to choose words that are strong and surefooted to carry readers on their way. 20. Avoid foreign languages. The writer will occasionally find it convenient or necessary to borrow from other languages. Some writers however from sheer exuberance or a desire to show off sprinkle their work liberally with foreign expressions with no regard for the reader s .