I'm reading the fourth edition of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Apparently blue is the new black and hats are back in vogue. Prepare to meet a Declan with a bold sense of fashion in the coming weeks.
Far from being a fashion manual, this ambiguously titled book is actually a simple set of rules to help one write precisely and stylishly. Strunk and White are passionate about the craft and unafraid to take its abusers to task. They have a particular distaste for the phrase "the fact that", which, according to Strunk, "should be revised out of every sentence in which it occurs". I wonder how he would feel about the fact that I use the phrase so often you'd think I was claiming royalties on it. But from here on in, it will be seen no more.
You win this round, Strunk, but you're not going to take "insightful" away from me!
There is also a list of "Words and Expressions Commonly Misused". Here are a couple:
Flammable. An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is inflammable, but some people are thrown off by the in- and think inflammable means "not combustible". For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable.
Nauseous. Nauseated. The first means "sickening to contemplate"; the second means "sick at the stomach". Do not, therefore, say, "I feel nauseous", unless you are sure you have that effect on others.
This short book is extremely pedantic, but I'm sure its meticulous advice will make me a more concise, precise writer who gets his point across with the fewest amount of words possible, and who avoids all of the cliched phrases, which, at the end of the day, only serve to anger each and every one of my readers to the point where they are literally steaming with rage.
