"Do not put statements in the negative form. And don’t start sentences with a conjunction. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do. Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all. De-accession euphemisms. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague."
—
William Safire, Great Rules of Writing (via wordpainting & conorh).
I will sheepishly admit it took me two reads to work out what was going on here.
(via travors)
Love it.
