Hi,
This week’s email is about how to write effectively, by using language "as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought".
The information here is from an essay by writer George Orwell, where he shared the following tips:
Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
As Orwell emphasized, this isn’t about “correct grammar” or “fake simplicity”, but rather about how you should “let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way about”.
As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts.
Have a great week,
Itamar