From The Jolly Contrarian
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
General Principles
The fewer words the better.
Keep sentences short.
Keep subject, verb and object together
Prefer the active voice
Keep it positive
- Prefer positives to negatives.
- Avoid double negatives.
- Recoil in horror from triple negatives.
Definitions
Enumerations
- Break into subparagraphs:
- Branch right, not left:
Singular versus plural
Provisos
Bad habits
Shall
And/or
For the avoidance of doubt
Including, without limitation
Numbering
Style
- Use strong verbs, instead of modified weaker ones. Prefer "bellowed" to "Shouted loudly".
- Avoid wimpy writing: Avoid "almost", "seems to".