Here are the top ten rules for writers from the 34-rule list by Dr. Gregory S. Jay, Professor, Department of English, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee:
Professor Jay's Writing Rules:- 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.
- - 34. Click here for the whole list of writing rules.
Other interesting language articles:- Communication: How Not To Do It Funny signs, ads, the impotence of proofreading, and the dept. of communication.
- Dsylexic Language Nerds, Untie! Some of my favorite language facts, quirks and fun moments.
- How does a comic/comedian talk or dialogue with an audience? How comic Paula Poundstone turns talking with people into hilarious mirth and frivolity.
- Ever Had Language Nerds Buffalo You? Some cool six-word stories and a few amazingly crazy, yet grammatically correct sentences.
- Cliche finder. Not an article, a cool online tool!
- A 450-word story where every word begins with "W!"
Generally, I tend to break many rules and add in many extraneous descriptions. If a writer adheres to all rules too strictly, style can become crippled. Nonetheless, it's still a good list of rules!
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