Essay on EFFECTIVE ENGLISH – HOW TO WRITE RIGHT

EFFECTIVE ENGLISH – HOW TO WRITE RIGHT

It is said of eminent writer and Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway that he had never sent his readers to dictionary! So easy and lucid his language was. So, what one must do to write right?

Which English is fine, British or American, highly educated or moderately educated, English professors’ or writers’? The answer to this question lies with a totally different professionals called, Journalist. Unlike the others, journalism warrants its practitioners to use minimum wordage, with ease, grace, perfection, punctuation, right words and rather stylish. For this purpose, special curriculum is there to shape them up.

Simple, tight and concise is what appeals to all. The following example helps one to be short and sweet.

Unnecessary phrase in practice  Recommended tight form
Actual fact  Fact
Close proximity Proximity
Dead body Body
Entirely unique Unique
Finished up Finished
First of all First
Future plans Plans
In a dying condition Dying
In spite of the fact In spite of (or) Despite
In the mean time Meanwhile
Lift up Lift
New Innovation Innovation
None of all None
Old aged Aged
Old tradition of the past Tradition
Past history History
Seem to be Seem
The sum of Rs.50 Rs. 50
The year of 2013 2013
He returned back He returned

Many commit these following common errors in English language.

Wrong Right
@ (in E mail, saying) at the rate of At
To discuss about To discuss (Never say about after discuss).
Co-brother Cousin (or say, my wife’s sister’s husband)
Suppose if Suppose or if (use any one).
To encash To cash in on
Walk in water Wade
Picked up a quarrel Picked a quarrel (Not up).
Pelted stone at the cop Pelted the cop with stone. (Pelt refers to attack; not throw).
The monsoon breaks out The monsoon breaks (not out).
I will give a ring… I will give a call, or I will call.
India won her freedom 55 years before India won her freedom 55 years ago.

(Note” The difference between ‘Before’ and ‘Ago’ is that, Before means from a specific point of time in the past. Ago means from now).

Alright All right.
He bosses over the participants (Avoid saying bosses over) He bosses the participants
The meeting is preponed

(Never say preponed).

The meeting is advanced.

 

He is in debts He is in debt, or the man has debts.
On either sides of the road On either side of the road.
Brother in laws & Sister in laws. Brothers in law or Sisters in law.
The meeting lasted for three      days The meeting lasted three days.
Nook and corner Nook and cranny.
Sherlock Holmes investigates into the case Sherlock Holmes investigates the case.
Sugar is essential for coffee Sugar is essential to coffee
Shot and shot at

 

Shot means, killed; shot at refers to wounded or hurt, and not killed.
Gentleman’s agreement Gentlemen’s agreement.
There is no ground to allege. There are no grounds for the allegation
By the by By the way.
He is a bank officer

 

He is a bank official.
He is a defence official

 

He is a defence officer.