My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be 'Me'?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English

Rule: Be clear; be concise; be simple.
Some thoughts on pomposity
‘We must have a better word than “prefabricated”. Why not “ready-

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made”?’
W
INSTON
C
HURCHILL
*
‘His speeches left the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving
over the landscape in search of an idea.’
US P
OLITICIAN
W
ILLIAM
M
C
A
DOO ABOUT
P
RESIDENT
W
ARREN
H
ARDING
*
‘Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the
end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.’
W
ILLIAM
P
ENN
*
‘Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in
unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless
jargon.’