Fumblerules
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
A fumblerule is a rule of language or linguistic style, humorously written in such a way that it breaks this rule.[1] Fumblerules are a form of self-reference.
The science editor George L. Trigg published a list of such rules in 1979.[2] The term "Fumblerules" was coined in a list of such rules compiled by William Safire on Sunday, 4 November 1979,[3][4] in his column "On Language" in the New York Times. Safire later authored a book titled Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage, which was reprinted in 2005 as How Not To Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar.
Contents
Examples
- "Never use no double negatives."
- "Eschew obfuscation."
- "Prepositions are not words to end a sentence with."
- "Avoid clichés like the plague."
- "The passive voice should never be employed."
- "You should not use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice."
- "It is bad to carelessly split infinitives."
- "No sentence fragments."
- "Parentheses are (almost always) unnecessary."
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Physical Review Letters 42 (12), pp. 747–748 (19 March 1979)
- ↑ alt.usage.english.org's Humorous Rules for Writing
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
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