-
Verbs
has to agree with their subjects.
-
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
-
And
don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
-
It is
wrong to ever split an infinitive.
-
Avoid
clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.)
-
Also,
always avoid annoying alliteration.
-
Be
more or less specific.
-
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.
-
Also
too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
-
No
sentence fragments.
-
Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
-
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
-
Do
not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly
superfluous.
-
One
should NEVER generalize.
-
Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
-
Don't
use no double negatives.
-
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
-
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
-
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
-
The
passive voice is to be ignored.
-
Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words
however should be enclosed in commas.
-
Never
use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.
-
DO
NOT use exclamation points and all caps to emphasize!!!
-
Use
words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
-
Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth
shaking ideas.
-
Use
the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.
-
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate
quotations. Tell me what you know."
-
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.
-
Puns
are for children, not groan readers.
-
Go
around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
-
Even
IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
-
Who
needs rhetorical questions?
-
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
-
The
passive voice should never be used.
-
Do
not put statements in the negative form.
-
A
writer must not shift your point of view.
-
Place
pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences of 10 or
more words, to their antecedents.
-
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
-
If
any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
-
Take
the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
-
Avoid
trendy locutions that sound flaky.
-
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular
nouns in their writing.
-
Always pick on the correct idiom.
-
The
adverb always follows the verb.
-
Be
careful to use the rite homonym.
-
Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.