George Orwell’s rules

I clipped these from a bookmark I made last week — they’re so good they deserved a post. Orwell‘s six rules for writing are very applicable to copywriting for the web:

  1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print.
  2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
  3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
  4. Never use the passive voice when you can use the active
  5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday equivalent.
  6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous!

 

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You’re currently reading “George Orwell’s rules,” an entry written by kevin

Published:
08.31.09 / 3pm
Category:
hey groovy