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. |