In our society, the study of language and literature is the domain of poets, novelists, and literary critics. Language is considered a decorative art, fit for entertainment and culture, but practically useless in comparison to the concrete sciences. Just look at the value of a college degree in English versus one in computer science or accounting.
But is this an accurate assessment of value?
Language is the primary conductor between your brain and the minds of your audience. Ineffective language weakens and distorts ideas.
If you want to be understood, if you want your ideas to spread, using effective language must be your top priority.In the modern world of business and politics this is hardly ever the case. In many instances, imprecise language is used intentionally to avoid taking a position and offending various demographics. No wonder it’s hard to make sense of anything!
This is hardly a recent problem, and as George Orwell wrote in his 1946 essay, Politics and the English Language, the condition is curable. By following Orwell’s 5 rules for effective writing, you’ll distinguish yourself from competitors and clearly communicate your ideas.
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
This sounds easy, but in practice is incredibly difficult. Phrases such as toe the line, ride roughshod over, stand shoulder to shoulder with, play into the hands of, an axe to grind, Achilles’ heel, swan song, and hotbed come to mind quickly and feel comforting and melodic.
For this exact reason they must be avoided. Common phrases have become so comfortable that they create no emotional response. Take the time to invent fresh, powerful images.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
Long words don’t make you sound intelligent unless used skillfully. In the wrong situation they’ll have the opposite effect, making you sound pretentious and arrogant. They’re also less likely to be understood and more awkward to read.
When Hemingway was criticized by Faulkner for his limited word choice he replied:
Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree (Ezra Pound). Accordingly, any words that don’t contribute meaning to a passage dilute its power. Less is always better. Always.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
This one is frequently broken, probably because many people don’t know the difference between active and passive verbs. I didn’t myself until a few months ago. Here is an example that makes it easy to understand:
The man was bitten by the dog. (passive)The dog bit the man. (active).The active is better because it’s shorter and more forceful.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
This is tricky because much of the writing published on the internet is highly technical. If possible, remain accessible to the average reader. If your audience is highly specialized this is a judgment call. You don’t want to drag on with unnecessary explanation, but try to help people understand what you’re writing about. You want your ideas to spread right?
6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous.
This bonus rule is a catch all. Above all, be sure to use common sense.These rules are easy to memorize but difficult to apply. Although I’ve edited this piece a dozen times I’m sure it contains imperfections. But trust me, it’s much better now than it was initially. The key is effort. Good writing matters, probably more than you think.
I hope you find these rules helpful, and through their application we’re able to understand each other a little bit better. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to read Orwell’s original essay. It contains many helpful examples and is, of course, a pleasure to read.
(89 votes, average: 4.74 out of 5)
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I read this essay over 10 years ago. It changed the way I viewed the writing process. Lazy (’foolish’ according to Orwell) thinking if allowed to become lazy writing encourages even lazier thinking.
I think it was C.S. Lewis who said (echoing Einstein), and I paraphrase: If you can’t explain it to a 12 year old then you have not understood the concept. And how better to know you understand, than to put fingers to keyboard!
I am currently studying a basic level writing course at university.
This blog has infact summed up what a month of lectures and tutorials has been trying and failing to do. So simple!
Thankyou!
Emily, what text does the course use?
There’s a writing course at my school that studies William Strunk’s The Elements of Style, a classic in the field.
If you enjoyed this post, you’ll really love Strunk’s stuff. Some of it parallels Orwell’s essay, actually.
Peace,
+B
Yes, ironically enough, simplicity is one of the hardest things to teach.
[…] The list is very valid, I’ve found it useful and you should too if you’re an owner of a blog or the next budding author waiting to bloom. Found it HERE. […]
Very useful and true list! Thanks very much.
It’s on my blog now, with a link back here!
http://www.theinternetjournalist.com/?p=86
or
http://www.theinternetjournalist.com/
writer, I’m glad you found the post useful. Thanks for sharing with your readers!
Good practical tips! I’ve partially reproduced it. Hope you don’t mind!
Most of today’s bloggers try hard trying to sound intelligent, but end up like rumsfeld!
http://www.charchaa.com/george_orwell_s_5_rules_for_effective_writing
anony, of course I don’t mind at all, they’re not originally mine anyways. They came from Orwell. I’m just happy you want to share the message with your readers.
Hehehe.. how ironic:
“4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
This one is frequently broken…”
Haha, thanks for catching that Pepe. I guess the difference between passive and active isn’t quite as obvious as I thought.
following rules is a complete waste of time if you’ve got nothing to say. and if you’re got something to say, then rules are irrelevant. most writers, musicians, artists, etc are just piglets eager to suckle the teats of some corporate pig as they dream of dollars, with dreck-mongers like stephen king, spielberg, lucas, eric crapton, madonna, etc, etc as their role models. not one single original thought provoking expression between the lot of them. let me put it this way: stupid people suck, it doesn’t matter what rules they follow cos whatever they say is still going to be stupid.
“…stephen king, spielberg, lucas, eric crapton, madonna, etc, etc as their role models. not one single original thought provoking expression between the lot of them.
spielberg and lucas were pioneers in their film making. ”
im sure that now it does seem like they lost their way and are in it for the money, but if it were 40 years ago and the previews for their classics were just coming out on tv, you would be in awe of their groundbreaking style. those two especially are what created the hollywood style of movies, which is now in a state, as you so vehemently put it, of total tit sucking corporate blah blah or whatever you said. but for their time,they were true visionaries
Hey asdf
I really ( Must admit..) liked YOUR comment, it seemed to come from the heart and I also full heartedly agree with it.
Well..nearly..say for instance weric Clapton..yeah ..pas grandchose , but he wrote Leila..Steven Spielberg Well he put the money he mad e with shitty fils nto worthy causes, Madonna, her music is as shitty as it gets I mean it doesn t even count..but she had a vision and a dream and that was to not join the fate of her sisters (all women , living in a mysognist agesm riddled society..) and postulated already in 1987 that she was in it for the long run.
Which she did!
Apart from that yeah, there has been such a losss of meaning and talent in writing ,but also in the other arts like Fine Arts(Does anybody LIKE Damien Hirst? so why isn t he all over the place on Tea Cups, towels as Van Gogh is)
Ecclesiastes:
I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all
Hey asdf I’ ve retained your attention far to long
Bye.The quote is for YOU, ’cause I agree with you nevertheless..
Strunk & White is more accepting of passive voice. It recommends the passive voice when the object of a sentence is, more broadly speaking, the subject. For instance if you are writing an essay about acorns, you could rightly say, “Acorns are buried by industrious squirrels.”
Thanks for the explanation, Frank. That is a great of example of when the passive voice is a better fit.
I really need to read over my old copy of Strunk and White.
I tell this to Zombos everyday, but he never listens. Excellent advice, though. Thanks.
Five rules? As in 6=5?
Just joking. Thanks very much for posting these, Politics and the English Language is one of the very best. And now the clock strikes thirteen…
Nice post. A lot of would-be pro bloggers don’t realize how crucial great writing skills are to their lasting success. These tips are keepers!
asdf is missing the point. Writing well is not always about writing original, compelling prose. It is just as much the need to communicate effectively. If you write a memo or an email or a blog entry, you want to follow this advice. This isn’t the kind of writing that wins raves, yet is written every day.
I agree, Charlzz. If everything written had to be completely original and fabulously expressed I don’t think anything would ever get published.
Nicely done! going straight into my Del.icio.us!
Thanks, Alex.
A loghorreic ambiguation has sans doute suffocated our attempts at verbal manifestation like a wet rag; any smouldering embers of creativity have been snuffed like a candle leaving but a barren dessert to the lexically enabled, consequently ablating - ca va sans dire - the sematic rendition of expression in a cacoëthes loquendi.
hey i like your pseudo TOO!
So what’s with the 6th rule in a piece about 5 rules? I’m trying to see it as some witty, ironic, self-reference. But it’s not working.
The “trunk and White” book referred to above is “The Elements of Style”‘ by Wm. Strunk and E. B. White. It covers briefly but perfectly the issues involved in interesting and concise writing. It really is a must-have reference.
My dear,
These rules are universal like the fact that all of us should speak truth. Still, they are repeated time and again just because we tend to ignore it.
This is for the simple reason that we ourselves do not understand what we are perceiving through our senses.
And everytime we need some big name to tell us small things! This is the irony of the situation. You used Orwell to tell the simple truth with big name.
Thanks for this interesting reading. I wish people really follow it rather than using it as a quote to show their intelligence.
Williams’ Style: Towards Clarity and Grace is also a good read for writing. It focuses more on the paragraph level, whereas Strunk and White focuses more on phrases and sentences.
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing (tags: language tips lifehacks literature) […]
Charlzz: “Writing well is not always about writing original, compelling prose. It is just as much the need to communicate effectively.”
Can you give a single example of compelling prose that is not effective communication, or vice versa?
Charlzz: “Writing well is not always about writing original, compelling prose. It is just as much the need to communicate effectively.”
Can you give a single example of compelling prose that is not effective communication, or vice versa?
“Twas brillig and the slithy toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogroves,
and the mome raths outgrabe…”
Personally, I think that’s compelling, but I wouldn’t say it’s effective communication.
I’m goofing, not being snarky. Just so you know.
isn’t this the guy who wrote an excellent read on the dangers of slimming down language as a danger of the government slowly taking over the details of citizens’ lives?
i love the essay.. but damn!! i believe in extending the words in order to best clarify a point. after reading orwell’s insight.. i think he actually agrees!!
maybe those who came before us were a bit longer in their wording. we all have our ways..
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[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing In our society, the study of language and literature is the domain of poets, novelists, and literary critics. Language is considered a decorative art, fit for entertainment and culture, but practically useless in comparison to the concrete sciences. Just look at the value of a college degree in English versus one in computer science or accounting.[news] [world & business] [offbeat news] […]
I checked out some parts of in the Economist’s Style Guide, quite useful. But I can not help getting myself doing that when it comes to real writing.
[…] The article is titled : George Orwell’s 5 rules for Effective Writing and you can read the entire article here. In summary the rules are: […]
He was a strange man…
“Less is always better.”
Fewer is better still.
[…] In our society, the study of language and literature is the domain of poets, novelists, and literary critics. Language is considered a decorative art, fit for entertainment and culture, but practically useless in comparison to the concrete sciences. Just look at the value of a college degree in English versus one in computer science or accounting.read more | digg story […]
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I could have used this yesterday *smiles*
I had to write a piece - and I’m not a writer at all! - on what I do for a few thousand people - GAH!
I wish I’d had this yesterday… *sighs*
That’s unfortunate, Judith. I’m sure there will be a next time though.
I do not wish to sound pretentious, but I really wish to inform anybody who may be understandably unsure as to the meaning of the word “fascism”. If one simply Google’s it they will understandably confused, and could be forgiven for concluding this word has no definitive meaning.
Various different dictionaries claim many different meanings, such as “tyrannical government” or “oppressive regime”. This word is frequently introduced by the media in order to deflect investigative questions, and claim the moral high ground, in effect manipulating the emotions of the public.
The correct and original meaning of “fascism” is a direct coalition between a state and industry. Big industries role is increasingly overlooked. One may only take the EU for an example of a modern fascist organisation; it did after all start out as European Economic Community.
I believe this is both good and bad, but I fear the increasing trend in western culture to frown upon such terminology, whilst at the same time attempting to perfect it. I agree with the points in this post. We must be able to communicate clearly in order to avoid self-destruction.
LOOK I DIDN T GOOGLE IT RIGHT NOW..BUT I THINK “FASCISM” WAS COINED IN RELATION TO MUSSOLINI’S RISE.
IN ANY CASE : WHY SHOULD THAT MEAN THAT THE EU IS A FASCIST ORGANSATION…ONLY BECAUSE IT INITIALLY STARTED OUT WITH THE WORD “ECONOMIC” IN IT?
D’YU FIND THAT LOGICAL?
WHAT’S YOU R BEEF WITH THE EU, ARE YOU A ‘APATRITIC AMERICAN ‘, WHO CAN T FATHOM THE IDEA OF A PARALLEL SUPER POWER OR WHAT ?
@asdf
Young man, you are quite mistaken. The object of the exercise is to ‘write well’, not ‘write original material’. By that definition, the much reviled Stephen King [et al] has performed quite admirably. Or else you have done better and the proceeds of your prowess have equally allowed you to live quite prosperously.
Furthermore, it is quite useless to be envious and disdainful of the productions of others. If you find them so, ignore them. If you want to be proven right: do better. If you cannot: read better material. What use is a life spent lamenting the poor quality of others’ work when your own cannot match them?
Write well and enjoy the process!
[…] Writing is an important form of communication. The better you communicate, the more people will respect your opinion. George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing […]
Hey, “no hands down” the best blog I’ve read this a.m. I found it via DIGG.
Thanks, Brad. I’ve been getting a lot of visitors from Digg this morning, it’s my first time on the front page.
[…] Eso sí, el artículo está en inglés, pero si podéis os recomiendo leerlo, ya que se desgranan los cinco consejos que daba George Orwell para escribir mejor. Lo podéis ver en el blog Pick the Brain […]
John, Digg is awesome. I was just actually thinking “You know I bet that guy just put a Digg button on his blog and one person hit it and bam.”
And as I read along more of your blogs, you may have just found another faithful subscriber. Good stuff keep it coming!
@George
Here is worthwhile advice to you:
Don’t use the word ‘quite’ in every other sentence, especially when you are criticizing someone. It looks snobbish and stupid.
When you communicate a point, be direct.
Throw out all the quites, almosts, evens, pretty muches and their friends too. Write with authority and people will believe you.
See rule #3.
@Andreas. You taught me something. I could not put my finger on what George said that while agreeing, was also irksome. Or rather quite irksome. Thank you.
YEP ANDREAS
AGREE WITH GEORGE HERE.
NOW ..
I DON’ T WANT TO TIRE OUT ANYBODY’ S PATIENCE BY USING A WELL WORN CLICHE..AS IN COULDN’T ‘QUITE PUT MY FINGER ON IT’,…either, BUT IT BASICALLY SUMS UP WHAT I WAS THINKING ,TOO.
OK
OUPPPS!
I WAS DELEBERATELY OR NOT SO DELIBERATELY USING OBSFUCATING LANGUAGE..
SEE.. GOT PUNISHED! CAN ‘T EVEN SPEKK THE WORD!
NEVER COULD, AND WHEN I HEARD IT THE FIRTS TIME IT TOTALLY SEEMED TO DEAFEAT THE PURPOSE.
(IF YOU KNOW WHAT i MEAN)
Nice and useful tips. Thanks
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
> The active is better because it’s shorter and more forceful.
Another problem is that the passive can be vague. Eg. You can write “The man was bitten” but it begs the question, “by whom?”
> This one is frequently broken
…by whom?
“Many writers break this rule.”
Love it! I’ve been out of school for a while and am now finding myself writing short bits at my job to get the boss to buy things for my department. It is always great to get some tips! Thanks!
John (couldn’t reply to “thread”)
I actually do hope there will be another opportunity as I do enjoy sharing what I’ve learned but given what I produced I worry that was the last time they will allow me to contribute *smiles*
Another problem is that the passive can be vague. Eg. You can write “The man was bitten” but it begs the question, “by whom?”
Regarding the phrase “begs the question,” Orwell’s #5 comes to mind (not to mention the fact that it’s one of the most misused phrases in the English language).
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“omit needless words”
Strunk and White abbbreviated Rule #2.
The other shorter alternative is
KISS ( keep it simple stupid) .
It violates rule #1
“This is tricky because much of the writing published on the internet is highly technical.”
Good technical writers know these things and revel in them.
@Andreas
The cheek!
I give you 1 quite. One less would have been good. It sounds snobbish and stupid? Tough cookies. If I want your opinion about me, I’ll give it to you.
I did not use ‘almost’, ‘even’, ‘pretty much’ at all, what’s your point? If I have to write more direct than that, I have to use Borg idiom. I wanted to use a chiding tone and dammit, I did a good job of it too!
“3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
…
Less is always better. Always.”
The extra “always” on this one is so funny, I assume it was intentional.
@George
Haha! Thats better!
You won!
good one!
( By the sheer wit and shortness of reply.
You proved a point there!
[…] March 22nd, 2007 George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing Posted by psxtavi Filed in cool […]
Shrimmmp, you are right about that. I figured that breaking the rule would be worth it if I could help emphasize the point.
I read 1984 many years ago, and it reminds me of “the new word order”, which is taking place even as I write. George.W. Bush belongs to the illuminaty, a group of people made up of industrialist, polititonss and the most powerful people in the world. You can find out for yourselves, don’t take my word for it. The plan is for world domination, one law one world religeon, and centralised in Europe. Gordon Brown the British home secretary has plans that invove the new word order, ( British newspapers). Their plan will include micro chips in our hand or in ones forehead, these have already been acomplished by the FBI, they tested it on gas pumps in the US. Imagine that we wont be able to by any food or sell anythiing,
when we go into a store we will be scanned for the hidden chip in our hand or head. It will be on point of death if one refuses to have the chip which will be administered through a hypodermic injection. Then we will find out who is on the Lord’s side. There is much more for you to find out, so get searching and read the book of Revelations Chapter 13.
Milo, you’re right that George Orwell would be proud of what we’re doing to the world but you’re over extending the whole new world order thing [although George H.W. Bush certainly used the phrase, he’s thinking about it for sure].
A new world order makes no sense. We can hardly manage our environment as it is. Look at what a controlled environment does to people: the Soviet Union, China, Islam. All ideologically dominated. No more initiative, social stagnation. Your grand scheme ends. You may be king of the dungheap but in the end you’re just running a pile of shit. Suppose your dystopian paradise comes into being. What are our supreme overlords going to do to us that they’re not already doing to us today?
Here is what will happen with your new world order. Global warming is causing major planet-wide changes to the ecology. That will drive very tough choices because people will no longer have an alternative. Your new world order will be swept away by untold millions who can’t be bothered being impressed. They will be poor, miserable, fed up and hungry. Try to control a population that sees its children die of hunger. Good luck with that one. It’s hard to rule the world when nobody gives a wet slap.
With these rules in mind what are we to make of the writings of Christopher Hitchens?
I think his writing is brilliant, although I’m not sure as I don’t understand most of it.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
“This one is frequently broken”.
Too funny
Someone pointed that out earlier :). I never claimed to be perfect.
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Cool post, thanks for posting!
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[…] Pick the Brain nicely abstracts George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing and provides the link to the original essay. I just came across this tool that helps you eliminate cliches from your writing. This helps with Orwell’s first rule of avoiding the use of metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you’ve seen in print. […]
My 2 cents:
Avoid the use of automatic and superlative adverbs - these words (ex from the article - ‘incredibly’, ‘highly’), break rules #3 and #1, adding unnecessary and meaningless mass to your writing.
A personal rule: never describe something as ‘ironic’ or refer to ‘irony’ unless you take A FULL 30 SECONDS to evaluate the truth of that description. Actual irony is rare - paradox, coincidence, and the unfortunate are far more often the true circumstances to be thoughtlessly given the ‘irony’ title. This last sentence was brought to you by the passive voice.
Thanks for this post. I wish my high school English teacher, as good as she was, supplied this to help us with her instantaneous writing exercises back in the ’60’s. Maybe it’s not too late!
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[…] Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007 3:21 PM by Will Femia UFOs flew over Phoenix in ‘97, Symington says - That’s Symington the former Arizona governor who (according to a TV report I just saw) was dismissive of the sighting at the time to prevent public panic even though he was convinced that it was in fact aliens. A story like this is easy enough to ignore on its face, but didn’t we just read about the former Canadian defense minister (second item) calling for UFO secrets to be revealed? And now I’m also reading about France opening its UFO files. (The link is slow to load but I did eventually get it open. But once there I wasn’t sure what to do so I’ll try again when I’ve got more time and hopefully by then someone will have highlighted some of the juicy parts.) And that weird string of UFO headlines from January is still fresh in my mind. By the way, regarding the Arizona sighting, the article points out: “Tucson astronomer and retired Air Force pilot James McGaha said he investigated two separate sightings over Phoenix that March night and traced them both to A-10 aircraft flying in formation at high altitude.” But Symington doesn’t appear to care about that. Human hegemony is over (if you want it). “Once a person commits an opinion to writing – even an opinion he does not hold – it soon becomes his actual opinion. Not every time, but MOST of the time.” See how Scott Adams turns that into a strategy to get strange attractive people to want to have sex with you. (P.S. When you read the line about moist robots, did you automatically think of the “ugly bag of mostly water” line from Star Trek? Kurt Vonnegut’s Eight rules for writing fiction George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing They’re similar in spirit I think. Speaking of rules that are as much about assessing others’ work as guiding your own, I find myself mentally referring back to this guy’s list of rules for taking pictures of strangers while doing street photography. Obama’s pastor speaks out - Apparently he’s angry about what the New York Times did with an interview with him. The letter comes from the church bulletin, which you can see in pdf at the end of this blog entry. Furniture origami Disturbing World Trade Center ad from 1984 - Looking for the context I found it illustrating this excerpt of an L.A. Times editorial about the threat of rising water levels being higher than the threat of terror attack. I also found it in this collection of WTC photos (see that asbestos ad?). As long as I’m talking about the context of 9/11, the sight of 9/11 t-shirts displayed next to “beer police” t-shirts at a St. Augustine, Florida tourist shop annoyed me enough to take a picture of it. I’m not saying everything about 9/11 has to be displayed in low light and ringed with candles, or even that people in Florida shouldn’t be able to buy commemorative t-shirts, but on the same rack as beer police shirts? Ug. This is a pretty amazing story of Marines accused of murdering an Iraqi. The amazing part is not so much the murder as the alleged cover up, which involves staging tableaus that were recorded by unmanned surveillance drones to give themselves an alibi for the killing. Fiction writers, add this one to your idea notebooks.10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World - Gotta love those Banyan trees. The peculiar pleasure of ear plugs - “There’s the pleasure of calming the world around you to the point where you can hear your own thoughts. And then there is the real treat to wearing earplugs: The moment when you have arrived at your destination—a quiet desk, a park, or maybe home, where a loved one waits—and you take them out, and the whole world comes rushing delightfully in, bright and somehow new.” (P.S. If you get a chance to ride a motorcycle while wearing ear plugs, do it.) The Freakonomics of Boarding a Bus - Getting on a bus at a crowded stop is a terrible experience, so why doesn’t everyone walk down the block to the stop that’s less crowded? Lengthy discussion in the comments, but what made me laugh is the way people who are constantly looking for “better ways” never understand people who couldn’t be bothered. I say this as someone who knows ten thousand ways to get to work by bus, train, cab, company shuttle and motorcycle and I can’t understand why anyone would take the least comfortable way. (A bonus to reading this piece is that you end up listening to the music on Lily Allen’s MySpace.) Retro games in stop motion Updated pie chart: Who Owns the National Debt, Jan. 2007 A comprehensive list of documentaries to be viewed online for free. Basically it’s a navigation of documentaries in Google Video but as such it’s more useful than the hodge podge that is Google’s documentary category. Rubber band guns Five common exercises you should never do. I don’t know about this one. Those are some pretty time honored exercises. I mean, I can see why they’d put stress on a joint or tendon, but “never do” seems a bit much. “Intelligent teenagers often listen to heavy metal music to cope with the pressures associated with being talented, according to research.” Maps of science - It took me a minute to figure out that the way to play with it is through the navigation on the right. It might be time to see a doctor when… New site aims to be the YouTube of gaming - You can skip the article, the site is Kongregate.com and the relevant quote is “Not all of them are gems, but the top 100 are.” Some you’ll recognize, others not, but I can pretty much guarantee you’ll loose a sizeable amount of your day here. Yet another genius kitchen product. It’s a brownie baking tray that ensures maximum edge pieces. This is second in necessity only to a top-only muffin tray. 10 Emerging Technologies 2007 Can podiobooks save my eyes and my sleep? I’ve been meaning to look into serialized audio books as an evening activity. I spend so much time staring at a screen and all of the sleep advice articles I’ve read mentions the importance of lower light as sleep time approaches. My current nightly habit involves sitting on the couch with a laptop in my lap and the TV on until I just pass out (waking a couple hours later to drag my weary butt to bed). I don’t know how you write a review of the Riches without mentioning the accents. Everyone is raving about the show, so I feel like I should give it another chance - particularly because I love Eddie Izzard - but British actors doing American southern accents is a real obstacle. I’m a born-and-raised northerner and even I can hear the accents slipping and sliding. Exploring the physiological meaning of “having guts” and “gut feelings.” Commuter Click: “The formula for human well-being used to be simple: Make money, get happy. So why is the old axiom suddenly turning on us?” I’m not sure I agree with the premise, but I’ll give the essay a shot. When was the last time you gave any strategic thought to the game of Monopoly? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is the entire Frank Miller 300 graphic novel series. And about that link, Scribd is a document library. Some interesting stuff. I had never heard of it. […]
[…] A diferencia de lo que escribe John Wesley en su sitio en http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/george-orwells-5-rules-for-effective-writing/, creo que las reglas son tan claras que no requieren comentario o explicación. Si desea leer el texto integro de Orwell, este se encuentra en: Politics and the English Language […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing So simple, yet they are easily forgotten. […]
This reminds me of David Bourland’s work on E-prime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-prime). Bourland suggest that we should drop the verb “to be” in all its forms. This removes the passive voice and force the writing to be more precise.
For example, writing “the rose is red” lacks clarity. Roses don’t inhibit “red” in themselves. Color is an experience in the mind of the observer. To sharpen your message you can instead write “The rose appear red to me”. This gives information that we talk about a subjective experience.
Be sure to check out the link I provided for more details.
Thanks, for the link Daniel. I’d never head about E-prime before. I wonder how many people actually use it. It is certainly more accurate.
[…] 5 regras de George Orwell para escrever bem - Cada escritor tem as suas. Cabe a você decidir quais vai usar ou se prefere criar as suas próprias. Em inglês. […]
[…] A very useful list. 1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. […]
[…] Original post by John Wesley and a wordpress plugin by Elliott […]
[…] Let’s move on to user-defined content sites. This is a daily phenomenon. News sites like Digg also have simple functioning. Users post articles and based on the number of votes, an article becomes popular and goes to the top articles list. Usually, through this method people come to know about news almost immediately after its announced. But there are some interesting articles that come up to the top and may not necessarily be a news article. It could be a tutorial, an article like this describing a topic or some rare matter worth reading. The other day I found an article titled George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing on Digg. A fascinating article that made me wonder sometimes why our language has changed and weakned a little today. Anyway, it is just an example of what you can find through such sites. […]
[…] Great post from John Wesley’s Pick the Brain Blog […]
Hi
Thanks for a very insightful and helpful post. Orwell is my house god and I believe that he was one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century.
The erosion of the language is actually enslavement, since without a meaningful language we are unable to understand what goes on around us at all.
You’re right, Jesper. It feels like we lose more meaning every day, making it harder to understand the world, and to change it if we’d like to. Still, I we can all make a difference on an individual basis.
[…] Posted on April 7th, 2007. I recently came across a site that i think that i am going to get a lot out of. This post summarizes George Orwell’s 5 simple rules for writing well. I figure that those of us going to school write quite a bit, so hopefully you’ll appreciate it like i did. […]
[…] Follow George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing. […]
hi nice site.
Hi, Alex. Thanks
[…] Let’s move on to user-defined content sites. This is a daily phenomenon. News sites like Digg also have simple functioning. Users post articles and based on the number of votes, an article becomes popular and goes to the top articles list. Usually, through this method people come to know about news almost immediately after its announced. But there are some interesting articles that come up to the top and may not necessarily be a news article. It could be a tutorial, an article like this describing a topic or some rare matter worth reading. The other day I found an article titled George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing on Digg. A fascinating article that made me wonder sometimes why our language has changed and weakned a little today. Anyway, it is just an example of what you can find through such sites. […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing (tags: writing tips orwell creativity blog work rules) […]
[…] Let’s move on to user-defined content sites. This is a daily phenomenon. News sites like Digg also have simple functioning. Users post articles and based on the number of votes, an article becomes popular and goes to the top articles list. Usually, through this method people come to know about news almost immediately after its announced. But there are some interesting articles that come up to the top and may not necessarily be a news article. It could be a tutorial, an article like this describing a topic or some rare matter worth reading. The other day I found an article titled George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing on Digg. A fascinating article that made me wonder sometimes why our language has changed and weakned a little today. Anyway, it is just an example of what you can find through such sites. […]
[…] Generalmente, las reglas sirven para criticar el trabajo de los demás cuandos se dice: “eso es el ABC, de facultad”. Cuando somos dueños del teclado nos encanta dinamitar los presupuestos de la escritura y el periodismo (les habla un ‘terrorista’ anti-pirámide invertida). Los que comemos de la tecla sabemos muchas de ellas (de memoria, algo fácil), pero conviene recordar algunas y tratar de aplicarlas (en la práctica, esto es muy difícil). Las cinco reglas para escribir con efectividad de George Orwell están bien, sobre todo la última: 1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which 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 where 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 English equivalent. 6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous. Vía Pick the brain Filed under: Periodismo | […]
[…] Las cinco reglas de Orwell Posted by: admin in Periodismo Generalmente, las reglas sirven para criticar el trabajo de los demás cuandos se dice: “eso es el ABC, de facultad”. Cuando somos dueños del teclado nos encanta dinamitar los presupuestos de la escritura y el periodismo (les habla un ‘terrorista’ anti-pirámide invertida). Los que comemos de la tecla sabemos muchas de ellas (de memoria, algo fácil), pero conviene recordar algunas y tratar de aplicarlas (en la práctica, esto es muy difícil). Las cinco reglas para escribir con efectividad de George Orwell están bien, sobre todo la última: 1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which 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 where 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 English equivalent. 6. Break any of these rules sooner than saying anything outright barbarous. Vía Pick the brain […]
I definitely agree with not using big words when a long one will do. There are rare cases that might be exceptions, like discussing a legal concept but in general I think that is really good advice.
What George Orwell says about these rules has really attracted me.there is no success in writing effectively unless one writes in simple language.
[…] Let’s move on to user-defined content sites. This is a daily phenomenon. News sites like Digg also have simple functioning. Users post articles and based on the number of votes, an article becomes popular and goes to the top articles list. Usually, through this method people come to know about news almost immediately after its announced. But there are some interesting articles that come up to the top and may not necessarily be a news article. It could be a tutorial, an article like this describing a topic or some rare matter worth reading. The previous day I found an article titled George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing on Digg. A fascinating article that made me wonder sometimes why our language has changed and weakned a little today. Anyway, it is just an example of what you can find through such sites. […]
[…] George Orwellâs 5 Rules for Effective Writing […]
Thanks, But i need to know more about the Rules that Governs Essay Writing, Letter writing, and even the when and where to apply the English Semantic and verb, pronoun and so much of Foundation, Please can you teach me or recommend a good webist or text-book for me.
I only know about Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics …. thats …. all maybe because i did not spend my time studying English Language that is why i am having problem with English language and know is my time to enter into the University and know they need me to understand English language… and currently am failing in it..
Can any thing be done?.. if there is please you can
email me: cleorock2002@yahoo.com.
and by name is Brain Zona
Thanks…. any way…… Please can you… Analyse my spelling and grammar in this little writting i just made and you guyz should correct me if applicable.
Hoping to hear from you. Thank you
[…] Vía | Pick the brain Sitio Oficial | Orwell: Politics and the English Language En Papel en Blanco | Ocho reglas para escribir ficción de Kurt Vonnegut […]
Las 5 reglas de George Orwell para una escritura efectiva…
En 1946 George Orwell escribió un ensayo, “Politics and the English Language” con cinco reglas para una escritura efectiva que te permita ofrecer tus ideas de la forma más clara posible.
En Pick The Brain (en inglés) no hace mucho hicie…
[…] * Shamelessly stolen from George Orwell’s famous Rules for Writers This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 3:40 am and is filed under Usability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Digg this! Add to del.icio.us […]
Never say ‘never’. Rule #4 - while stated using passive instead of active tense, passive tense is more appropriate in this case due to the generality of subject which it brings. Using an active tense would force specificity on the subject which would not be desirable.
“never” should never be said ??
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules of Effective Writing […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules of Effective Writing […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules of Effective Writing […]
[…] thanks to John Wesley who wrote a similar article on this topic called George Orwell’s 5 rules of effective writing. It was this article that inspired my article. Monday June 11th, 2007 | Categories: Authors; […]
This topic is very effective for those writers who want to appear in any kind of competitive examinations
I think not for competitors but for other writers as well like news reporters and essay writers as well.
In short these are very very effective notes
I think someone mentioned Strunk somewhere up there. Orwell’s rules are a good brief of some of his rules. I think every writer should have a copy of The Elements of Style.
hi all.
Hi
my job is related directly to writing. i need help on making
research material look great in a refereed journal.
i agree the same rules apply here but getting to
a pro journal is tricky for me.
thanks for great blogging!
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing […]
I agree with these rules I write pretty much straight on avoid euphemisms when possible flowery language and 15 letter words people shouldn’t have to struggle through a piece of writing to get the point I do use alot of humor though when appropriate what do people think of that?
I think humor can be great in the right context.
yes if it fits use it. if it has no place what you are writing, its better to leave it out.
Hi,
This is one of the better articles I’ve read and will help me with my future writing! This is a great Blog too. Thanks for all the good stuff!
I agree Val very good info context is everything keeps your writing in perspective.
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules of Effective Writing […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules of Effective Writing […]
[…] Follow George Orwell’s Rules for Effective Writing. Becoming a better writer will create better career opportunities and increase productivity. […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing (focus on the idea of simplicity) […]
How in the world did I miss this post? Great stuff, John!
[…] Looking at these five rules, I have to ask. […]
It´s very interesting. I love Georges Orwell. I try write like him, but in spanish. I dont speak english very well sorry.
http://2tiposdeinteres.blogspot.com/
I am interested in #2. I have been told many times that I write too pretentiously. I have even been told to ‘dumb it down’ many times. It isn’t intentional, it’s just the way I like to write. I guess I should give it more thought, but how do you know how simple you should write? I read classics, mostly older ones, where the vocabulary is atrocious. Then I read very simple, almost abrupt writings (e.g Paulo Coelho), and it just doesn’t have the same charm, although the authors seem very intelligent.
I don’t want to be pretentious, but I don’t want to live in a world where a big vocabulary is something to hide in shame.
re writing to pretentiously—I write the way I talk. from the hip –what you see is what you get –It’s just my personal style. If writing pretentiously is comfortable for you why back down.
Much better are the books about writing that are less prescriptive, that explain when it’s okay to break the rules.
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing (focus on the idea of simplicity) […]
Hello,
I agree that you should use all 5 Rules of writing simply. Then, after you read them, understand one thing. Poetry is an Art. It is that Art that tends to bend these rules, depending on any particular word and the feeling you are trying to show. It may be an idea you might not be able to portray in any other way, except to break one of these rules. And, that is alright. You can never make rules that have to be sustained, no matter what. You can never be consistent and that is alright, as well. Only remember that it is the poem that is important, not the writer. And always keep in mind, Poetry is your entry to fun. It is also the reader’s entry to fun. They depend on us to make the poem fun, enjoyable, truthful as possible and helpful. Regards, ev.
Thanks for the posting of the five rules, i have just printed them out, and will study them carefully. The active over the passive voice idea makes alot of sense to me. I good writer like orwell probably kept that rule at the front of his mind constantly. because he seems, to me anyway, to have an amazing ability to turn a idea around and hit you with something very direct and abrupt to complete the idea. I don’t know if anyone else notices that. I have just finsihed reading down and out in Paris and london. Very good.
Great post. Some of this tips may be very useful to me.
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules For Effective Writing Style Never use metaphors, similes or other figures of speech you are used of seeing in print. […]
[…] George Orwell’s 5 Rules For Effective Writing Style Never use metaphors, similes or other figures of speech you are used of seeing in print. Don’t […]
[…] of this when I recently came across John Wesley’s wonderful post on PickTheBrain about George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing Style. Here are edited highlights: … Language is the primary conductor between your brain and the […]
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i need badly to change my bad englis, i face dificulty in writing specialy in litreture.
[…] Effective Writing - George Orwell - Language is the primary conductor between your brain and the minds of your audience. Ineffective language weakens and distorts ideas. […]
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I read some of the comments and it’s funny to see how some people think they know it all. Writing it’s important but isn’t there other things more important going on around the world?
@Lola: “Writing it’s important but isn’t there other things more important going on around the world?”
Yes, but how would you learn about them?
[…] those of you who’ve enjoyed popular PickTheBrain writing posts like George Orwell’s Rules for Effective Writing and How to Write Something Worth Reading, this site will be right up your […]
[…] [WRITING] Effective Writing - George Orwell, pickthebrain.com […]
Nice to know.
George Orwells 5 Rules for Effective Writing…
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2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
If you use the word utilize, in writing or speech, stab yourself repeatedly in the face with a broken beer bottle. Or, I suppose you could always just stop using it.
The comments demonstrate how little thought we put into our routine writing. Even though there is no teacher grading our writing, evaluations continue - and grammar counts, spelling counts, capitalization counts. Vomiting thoughts onto the page is not writing, it is the opposite. Rather than communicate, often it only confuses.
Writing takes effort. Writing well requires work, thought and practice. Effective communication is worth the sweat.
These are certainly useful guidelines. However, they bear only a tenuous connection to writing well. They are to writing well as arithmetic is to engineering.
I’m glad someone pointed out that these guidelines aren’t a recipe for becoming a good writer. The truth is that writing well isn’t something you can do by the numbers. Writing is about communication, but it’s also about entertaining and engaging the reader. Sometimes it’s not about the shortest path to the information, but the most interesting one.
It’s important to remember that Orwell was writing about the literature that occurred before and up to his time. That was a time before people lived lives that were saturation-bombed with media. He was encouraging people to forgo florid literary traditions, not write in a rudimentary and simplistic fashion. People offer advice with an eye toward the times they live in and sometimes that advice doesn’t translate to future media and communication methods. He was also talking about writing meant to evoke emotions, and a lot of people seem to be treating what he has said as an all-encompassing rulebook for all kinds of writing.
Economy and directness work well in conveying emotion because the reader doesn’t get tangled up in deciphering the prose. If you’re not writing to evoke emotions, then you’re going to bore the reader by slavishly following these rules.
the rules actually come from the Orwell essay: “Politics and the English Language” published in 1946
It’s a damned good essay all the way through, very thought provoking and fully applicable today.
http://www.spymac.com/details/?2334927
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I must say that anyone who has a real grasp of Orwell through his writings and many of his interviews with himself, will agree wiht me that this essay is not meant to be taken the way that it was obviously taken by these reade