"Enthusiastic newcomer" - what a charming euphemism for "lazy oaf who clumsily rehashes threads for which he was too lazy to look."
The above quote from a posts I just made was reworked. Initially I had written, ""Enthusiastic newcomer" - what a charming euphemism for "lazy oaf who clumsily rehashes threads he was too lazy to look for." My question is this: How do the regular contribotors feel about ending sentences with prepositions? At times, avoiding this gaffe seems to create very stilted phrases. I know that this subject has almost certainly been thrashed already, but then I also know that you would expect nothing less from me. I am genuinely interested to hear views on this subject. My curiosity was aroused, at least partly, by the following list of rules. No doubt many of you have seen it before, but I found it amusing, and so will bore you with it.
Writing Tips
1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
3. The adverb always follows the verb.
4. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
5. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
6. Remember to never split an infinitive.
7. Contractions aren't necessary.
8. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
9. One should never generalize.
10. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations.
Tell me what you know."
11. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly
superfluous.
12. Be more or less specific.
13. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
14. The passive voice is to be avoided.
15. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
16. Who needs rhetorical questions?
17. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
18. Don't never use a double negation.
19. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
20. A writer must not shift your point of view.
21. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a
preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
22. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!!!!!
23. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
24. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
25. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; they're old hat;
seek viable alternatives.
"Nationalism is an infantile disease, the measles of humanity" - Albert Einstein
