Orwell’s Rules for Good English

• Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

• Never use a long word where a short one will do.• If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.• Never use the passive where you can use the active.• Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a

jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

• Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech, which you

are used to seeing in print

• He took to the game like a duck to water …• Her reputation preceded her …• There is more to this than meets the eye …• On any given day …• As solid as a rock …

Never use a long word when a short one will do.

• Help• Buy• Individual• Suffice• Use• Try

• Assist• Purchase• Person• Do• Utilise• Endeavour

If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

• In this lecture, we are learning about the rules and regulations of writing and editing in the language of the English.

• In this lecture we are learning about the rules of writing and editing in English.

Never use the passive where you can use the active.

The lecture was given by Sid Vicious = passive

Sid Vicious gave the lecture = active

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think

of an everyday English equivalent.

“The establishment of the Equality Courts seeks to achieve the expeditious and informal processing of cases, which facilitate participation by the parties to the proceedings, and also seeks to ensure access to justice to all persons in relevant judicial and other dispute resolution forums.”

Anglo-Saxon English

• Clavicle vs collarbone

• Assist vs help

• Consider vs think

• Ameliorate vs lessen

Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Drunks Get Nine Months in Violin Case

Iraqi Head Seeks Arms

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands

Clinton Wins Budget; More Lies Ahead

George Orwell

“Politics and the English Language”

“In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible … political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenceless villagers are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside … the huts set on fire … this is called pacification.” (George Orwell: “Politics and the English language” 1946)

• The realisation of housing projects will necessitate an increased budget.

• Rather: The housing project needs more money.

• Or: More money is needed to complete the housing project.

Either … or

He was either determined to acquire wealth or fame.

He was determined to acquire either wealth or fame.

He was determined either to acquire wealth or to acquire fame.

But the first correction is better:

He was determined to acquire either wealth or fame.

Not only … but also

He not only wrote history but also light fiction.

He wrote not only history but also light fiction.

Less or few?

If you can count it individually, it’s few or fewer; otherwise it’s little or less.

Likewise, if it is countable, you use many, otherwise use much.

There are less United Nations troops stationed in East Timor than there were five years ago.

(Should be fewer UN troops)

New statistics report few corporate crime in the banking sector.

(Should be “…less corporate crime …”

New statistics found that little crimes committed in the corporate sector are reported. (Should be “… few crimes …”)

Food aid might be required by much southern African countries if the drought continues. (Should be “... many southern African …”)

Many misery is caused by paraffin fires. (Should be “Much misery …”)

Numbers

There are ten girls in the room.

OR

There are 10 girls in the room.

She was between fifteen and 16 years of age.

Either:

She was between fifteen and sixteen years of age.

Or:

She was between 15 and 16 years of age.

Never start a sentence with a digit

16 people drowned when the Zambezi flooded its banks at Tete.

Rewrite as: Sixteen people drowned when the Zambezi flooded its banks at Tete.

55% of the class passed.

Rewrite as: “Fifty-five per cent …” or as “A total of 55% …”

Capitalisation

Department of Health or department of health?

Internet or internet?

Southern Africa or southern Africa?

As a general rule: keep capitals for specific particular references, but drop them for more general terms.

• “President George Bush” makes sense.• As does “the President” when referring

specifically to George Bush.• But “George Bush is the president of the United

States” probably doesn’t want a capital.

Be consistent!

Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube has either openly called for a “peaceful resistance or a mass uprising.”

“I hope that people get so desperate that they really organize against their government and kick-out Mugabe with non violent uprising,” Ncube said in an interview with the Organisation for democratic Change in Zimbabwe.

The archbishop, a well known critic of Mugabes’ regime made the suggestion as evidence mounted of more subtle forms of intimidation than in the previous 2 elections.

Less Zimbabweans believe that the results of the national elections has been predetermined by the behavior of the government.

Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube has openly called for either a “peaceful resistance or a mass uprising”.

“I hope that people get so desperate that they really organize against their government and kick out Mugabe with non-violent uprising,” Ncube said in an interview with the Organisation for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe.

The Archbishop, a well-known critic of Mugabe’s regime made the suggestion as evidence mounted of more subtle forms of intimidation than in the previous 2 elections.

Fewer Zimbabweans believe that the results of the national elections have been predetermined by the behaviour of the government.

Go for the simplest tense

Not: She was meeting with them.

Rather: She met with them.

Not: UN officials will be inspecting the landmine problem.

Rather: UN officials will inspect the landmine problem.

Residents were being rescued from the burning block of flats while onlookers were watching.

Residents were rescued from the burning block of flats while onlookers watched.

Markets will be closing at noon tomorrow.

Markets will close at noon tomorrow

Relative clauses – starting with which is or that was or who were – often just make for unnecessarily long sentences.

Also watch out for clumsy phrases such as the coach of the netball team or the manager of the bank – replace with the netball coach or the bank manager)

It is a not unfamiliar occurrence that emergency vehicles are unable to get to the scene of an accident due to heavy traffic.

Because of traffic, emergency vehicles are often unable to reach accidents.

The chairperson of the EIC has speculated regarding the possibility of a negotiation around the point of a wage settlement.

The EIC chairperson speculated about a wage settlement negotiation.

Frequently confused terms:

• Alternate vs. alternative

• Complement vs. compliment

• Affect vs. effect

Alternate means “every other” (Monday, Wednesday, Friday are alternate days.)

Alternative has come to mean both non-traditional (as in “alternative culture”) and other (as in “alternative accommodation”). Ask yourself whether it can’t simply be replaced by “other” or “new”, and whether “alternatively” can’t simply be replaced by “or”.

• Complement means “to complete” or “to suit” (as in “The new project complements the initial strategy” or “The colour of your hair complements the colour of the hat”).

• Compliment means “to flatter” or “to praise (as in “I complimented the writer for her understanding of grammar”).

Affect means to “produce an effect on” (as in “The music affected her”).

To effect means “to bring something about ” (as in “I will effect the conclusion of this lecture”).

Font with no horizontal embellishments is referred to as sans serif font.

Font with slight horizontal embellishments is referred to as serif font.

A Heading in Sans Serif

Body text in serif font is generally what is considered to be good design. Of course, this depends on the nature of the text. Sometimes a sans serif text is preferable, but if you look at in next to serif font you can see that serif font is actually slightly easier on the eye muscles.

h

h

To conclude this series of lectures on the precarious art and task of copyediting which is to say, to begin this module on copyediting skills (i.e. the necessary steps required in the edit-ing of copy), I thought it best after giving the matter due consideration, I came to the con-clusion that the most superior and effectual way of explaining what the above-mentioned topic is comprised of, would be to round things up, without beating around the bush, by way of practical demonstration, if you like, or, if you prefer through a practical demonstration of the aforementioned.

I decided to end this series of lectures with a demonstration.