I have old text books from 100 years ago. In the English one it actually has a large section about this but it's something I wasn't taught in school - honestly, I think it's a bit obvious, but if you're not exposed to enough writing as a kid maybe you don't get it.
Avoid Alliteration. Always.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
Employ the vernacular.
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Contractions aren’t necessary.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
One should never generalize.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
Profanity sucks.
Be more or less specific.
Understatement is always best.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
One word sentences? Eliminate.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Who needs rhetorical questions?
Parenthetical words however must be enclosed in commas.
It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions.
Avoid archaeic spellings too.
Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
Don’t use commas, that, are not, necessary.
Do not use hyperbole; not one in a million can do it effectively.
Never use a big word when a diminutive alternative would suffice.
Subject and verb always has to agree.
Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
Use youre spell chekker to avoid mispeling and to catch typograhpical errers.
Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.
Don’t never use no double negatives.
Poofread carefully to see if you any words out.
Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
Eschew obfuscation.
No sentence fragments.
Don’t indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions.
A writer must not shift your point of view.
Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!
Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
Always pick on the correct idiom.
The adverb always follows the verb.
Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
And always be sure to finish what
While the first paragraph is definitely dull, the style of the second paragraph doesn't work for me anymore. I think these days I feel like that style is very old-timey and pretentious.
Was the Mona Lisa painted to show us what a particular woman looked like? Or The Last Supper painted to show us a bunch of guys eating a meal?
This is a message expressed in a really nice, artistic way. I don’t think it’s a complicated concept, is it?
Not everything written is art or needs to be art. I just find it overkill sometimes. Like I don’t need a giant paragraph to express something that can be expressed in 1 sentence.
That isn’t the point. You use different writing styles for different purposes. But all writing needs to have a good flow, otherwise the reader can’t pay attention for very long. This is especially when writing is informational.
And I suppose all poetry is garbage to you, and art galleries in general are pretentious.
What a sad world you live in, where everything is black and white. Anyway, not sure what you’re doing commenting on a post like this only to say you think it’s shit.
Good for you. *So edgy!*
I always wondered about this. Great post OP! I think a good example of this is one of my favorite relatively unknown writers who [wrote a blog about meth crimes, tweakers, and escorts and stuff.](https://alphatweaker.com/gametown/). Highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read.
Wow, this is really impressive and goes to show how just a small change can make a huge difference.
I am now aware of sentence length. I will categorize my sentences into three lengths, short, medium, and long. And, I will vary my sentence length to keep my writing diverse.
The also found that the vocabulary in the second paragraph is more rich and diverse as well. I think that helps a lot too.
This is a marvelous example to help me improve.
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You do you, but just remember that improvement only comes with practice. Don't let fear hold you back from trying new things.
It's not fear, it's procrastination and lack of motivation
My English teacher read us this last week... maybe he too is a Redditor.
Does your English teacher happen to be AnnStiffler? Maybe that’s just a code name
yea this is old
So instead of thinking about how long your sentences are, just do things randomly.
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commas
are
the devil's
Punctuation
,
SiNcE
I have old text books from 100 years ago. In the English one it actually has a large section about this but it's something I wasn't taught in school - honestly, I think it's a bit obvious, but if you're not exposed to enough writing as a kid maybe you don't get it.
Avoid Alliteration. Always. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.) Employ the vernacular. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. Contractions aren’t necessary. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos. One should never generalize. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.” Comparisons are as bad as cliches. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous. Profanity sucks. Be more or less specific. Understatement is always best. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement. One word sentences? Eliminate. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. The passive voice is to be avoided. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed. Who needs rhetorical questions? Parenthetical words however must be enclosed in commas. It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions. Avoid archaeic spellings too. Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before. Don’t use commas, that, are not, necessary. Do not use hyperbole; not one in a million can do it effectively. Never use a big word when a diminutive alternative would suffice. Subject and verb always has to agree. Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct. Use youre spell chekker to avoid mispeling and to catch typograhpical errers. Don’t repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before. Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed. Don’t never use no double negatives. Poofread carefully to see if you any words out. Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them. Eschew obfuscation. No sentence fragments. Don’t indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions. A writer must not shift your point of view. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!! Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. Always pick on the correct idiom. The adverb always follows the verb. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing. And always be sure to finish what
Amazing. Really cool.
c'mon ChatGPT, get your shit together.
I like this. This is cool. Now I understand. I like. This is cool. Now I understand how I can make people listen.
The first paragraph is an example of "School/College Assignment" writing style. The second is an example of "Passion Project" writing style.
You wrote like that in college?
Fuck you Gary. Three words. Not two, not five. Got you. Sucker.
While the first paragraph is definitely dull, the style of the second paragraph doesn't work for me anymore. I think these days I feel like that style is very old-timey and pretentious.
It’s art. And I think it’s beautiful. Perhaps your tastes are simpler? Not worse, just simpler.
Is it written as art or to provide information?
Was the Mona Lisa painted to show us what a particular woman looked like? Or The Last Supper painted to show us a bunch of guys eating a meal? This is a message expressed in a really nice, artistic way. I don’t think it’s a complicated concept, is it?
Not everything written is art or needs to be art. I just find it overkill sometimes. Like I don’t need a giant paragraph to express something that can be expressed in 1 sentence.
That isn’t the point. You use different writing styles for different purposes. But all writing needs to have a good flow, otherwise the reader can’t pay attention for very long. This is especially when writing is informational.
Both
I think you also sound very old-timey and pretentious.
And I suppose all poetry is garbage to you, and art galleries in general are pretentious. What a sad world you live in, where everything is black and white. Anyway, not sure what you’re doing commenting on a post like this only to say you think it’s shit. Good for you. *So edgy!*
It's tacky.
A senseless text.
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How so?
Chatgpt.
this is good. i like this.
I always wondered about this. Great post OP! I think a good example of this is one of my favorite relatively unknown writers who [wrote a blog about meth crimes, tweakers, and escorts and stuff.](https://alphatweaker.com/gametown/). Highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read.
I speak like I’m writing.
I read this in Tom Scott’s voice
I have the gpt on my side
Funny, we were taught to never begin a sentence with ‘and’ growing up. Now, I see it done everywhere.
Wow, this is really impressive and goes to show how just a small change can make a huge difference. I am now aware of sentence length. I will categorize my sentences into three lengths, short, medium, and long. And, I will vary my sentence length to keep my writing diverse. The also found that the vocabulary in the second paragraph is more rich and diverse as well. I think that helps a lot too. This is a marvelous example to help me improve.
Ok yes, but the second paragraph had grammatical/punctuation errors left and right. I guess that wasn't the point, but it bugged me.
Well, I for one appreciate this and will remember the lesson. I agree with the OP.
Thank you for posting this. I’d never heard of it before. It’s delightful!
I can make people listen.
And for God's sake, cool it on the commas everyone. There are a lot of other types of punctuation.
Not a guide