Without learning the more complicated systems which define good writing, one can still improve his prose a good deal. All he has to do is to avoid using particular words and phrases. The “dirty words” include vague terms, foreign words, technical words, literary allusions, wordy forms, unnecessary phrases, offensive words, illiterate errors, cliches, and awkward phrases. A long list is given.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
McDonaldD., Communism, Composition, and Polly Brown, ETC: A Review of General Semantics, March 1969.
2.
Controversy: Logic in Writing and Reading, Chandler Publishing Company, 1966.
3.
Science, Literature, and Absurdity, South Atlantic Quarterly, Winter 1966–67. The Bible: A Literary Survey, with Charles Harwell, Bobbs-Merrill, 1975. The Language of Argument, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1975.
