Fumblerules
Fumblerules are humorous rules for writing, collected from teachers of English grammar.[1] A fumblerule contains an example contrary to the advice it gives, such as "don't use no double negatives", "eschew obfuscation" and "never use a preposition to end a sentence with", a form of self-reference.
The science editor George L. Trigg published a list of such rules in 1979.[2] Another list, from which this article takes its name, was compiled by William Safire on Sunday, 4 November 1979,[3][4] in his column "On Language" in the New York Times. Safire later authored a book titled A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage, which was reprinted in 2005 as How Not To Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar. An overview of various 'self defeating sentences', including FumbleRules is also available [5]
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[edit] Examples
- "Don't use no double negatives."
- "Eschew obfuscation."
- "Never use a preposition to end a sentence with."
- "Avoid clichés like the plague."
- "The passive voice should never be employed."
- "It is bad to carelessly split infinitives."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Dennis Joseph Enright (1983). A Mania for Sentences. Chatto & Windus/Hogarth Press. http://books.google.com/?id=PD0eAAAAMAAJ&q=Fumblerules+date:0-1990&dq=Fumblerules+date:0-1990.
- ^ Physical Review Letters 42 (12), pp. 747–748 (19 March 1979)
- ^ alt.usage.english.org's Humorous Rules for Writing
- ^ Safire, William (1979-11-04). "On Language". New York Times: p. SM4. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50A10F6355410728DDDAD0894D9415B898BF1D3&scp=1&sq=Fumblerules&st=p
- ^ Article at Godels Lost Letter (blog): http://rjlipton.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/self-defeating-sentences/
[edit] External links
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