Essential English
Page 33
intros 104–5
loose sentences 27, 28, 29
‘luxuriant’/‘luxurious’ 61
Macdonald, Dwight 56
Mansfield, F. J.: Sub-editing 10
Maugham, William Somerset 75
meanings of words 56–63
measure, descriptions of 48
metaphors 63, 87
in headlines 245, 251–2
see clichés
misuse of words 56, 57–63
‘mitigate’/‘militate’ 61
monologophobia, avoiding 51–3
monotony, avoiding 27–9
narrative technique see story-telling technique
negative expression 25–7
in headlines 205, 228–30
in official language 35
new words 56–7
New York Times 2–3, 21, 33, 49, 59, 126–32, 168
news-agency reports 9, 157–60
news leads 122
action stories 122–32
speeches and reports 147–9
statement–opinion stories 132–47, 149–61
non-sequiturs 21
‘none’ 61
nouns:
abstract see abstract nouns/abstractions
as adjectives 245, 246
alternative and synonymous 254–85
compound (in headlines) 210, 211, 212
and redundant adjectives 44–6
obituaries 21, 179–80
‘oblivious’/‘ignorant of’ 61
official language 24, 34–5, 55, 91
reporting 64, 114–18, 147–9
‘operations’ 40
opinion stories see statement–opinion stories
over-attribution see sources
overloaded intros 93, 105–8, 191, 193
‘participation’ 40
participles, use of 93, 95
passive voice (verbs), use of 22–5
in headlines 219
pedantry 53, 55, 211
penny-a-liners 14
periodic sentences 28, 29
periphrasis 36
plane crashes 178
police language 55, 71, 72
political headlines, impartiality in 212–13
portmanteau intros 118
‘position’ 41
positive expression/statements 25–7
in headlines 228–30
in intros 111
‘practice’/‘practise’ 61
prefixes 30
prepositional verbs 53, 54–5
prepositions 53–4, 55
‘principal’/‘principle’ 62
‘problem’ see ‘dilemma’; ‘issue’
projection editors 5, 6–7
pronouns, use of:
aversion to 49, 51
unidentified (in intros) 95–6, 103
‘proposition’ 41
‘protagonist’/‘antagonist’/‘champion’ 62
puns: in headlines 239, 240–1
‘purposes’ 41
qualifying words:
redundant 46–8, 83–7
in stale expressions 87–90
see also adjectives
quantities, descriptions of 48
‘question of. . .’ 41
Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur 46
‘quota’ 62
quotations 64, 65, 68–70, 123
accuracy 27, 70–1, 146–7
in intros 114–16, 147, 148
and negative expression 27
see also reported speech
‘recrudescence’/‘resurgence’ 62
redundancies 46–8, 83–7
‘regalia’ 62
repetition 48–50
in court reporting 74
of sources 48–9, 53, 100, 101–2, 191, 193
see also monologophobia
‘replica’/‘reproduction’ 62
reported speech:
official statements 24, 34–5, 64, 114–18, 147–9
repetition of source 48–50, 53, 101, 102–3
wordiness 64–8
see also court reports; quotations
‘reproduction’ see ‘replica’
‘resurgence’ see ‘recrudescence’
revise editors 7–8
rewrite journalists 4
rhythm 17–18, 28, 29
Roget’s Thesaurus 254
Rose, Marc 21
running statement–opinion stories 149–61
‘say’, aversion to 52
scientific writing: background 178–9
sentences 17–22
active and passive 22–5
balanced 27, 28, 29
compound and complex 17, 18, 22, 27
limits to length 18, 27
loose 27, 28, 29
periodic 27, 28, 29
positive and negative 25–7
simple 17, 18, 22, 27
Shakespeare, William 30, 55
Shanks, Edward 1
similes 87
simple sentences 17, 18, 22
simplifying words and phrases 75–83
see also abstract nouns
‘situation’ 41–2
slang, use of 57
in headlines 246
‘so far as. . . is concerned’ 54
source identification:
obsession with 48–50, 53, 100, 101–2, 191, 193
in opinion stories 100–1, 102–3
relevance to audience 101, 103–5
speeches, reporting see quotations; reported speech
Spencer, Herbert 31, 36
sports writing 45, 51, 87
headlines 243, 244
source identification 101
stale expressions 87–90
statement–opinion stories:
chronology 121, 132–3
news leads 132–47
newsworthiness 148–9
running 149–61
source identification 100–1
speeches and reports 132, 147–8
‘stationary’/‘stationery’ 62
story-telling technique:
court reports 183–5
news features 97, 195–203
news reports 126–32, 180–3, 186–95
reporting of wills 185–6
Strunk, W., Jnr: Elements of Style 31–2, 46
sub-editors 1, 4, 8–9
see text editors
suffixes 30, 57
superlatives 46
Swift, Jonathan 57
synonyms 254
see alternative words; monologophobia
‘synthetic’/‘false’ 62
take-over bids 179
‘tasters’ 197, 199
tenses (verbs):
in headlines 218–19
in intros 116–17
text editors 4, 7, 8, 15–17, 30
qualities required 9–13
‘then’ 123–4
third-person reporting see reported speech
Thurber, James 92
My Life and Hard Times 27
‘titivate’/‘titillate’ 62
train crashes 178
transitive verbs 23
‘transpired’/‘happened’ 62
Twain, Mark 29
‘uninterested’ see ‘disinterested’
‘urbane’/‘urban’ 63
‘use of. . .’ 42
verbs:
active and passive 22–5
alternative and synonymous 254–85
changed into abstract nouns 42–4, 52–3, 254
in headlines 211–12, 215–20, 235–7, 245, 246–8, 252
intransitive 23
in intros 116–17
prepositional 53, 54–5
tenses 116–17, 218–19
transitive 23
‘viable’/‘feasible’/‘practicable’ 63
‘vice’ 63
‘virtually’/‘nearly all’ 63
vocabulary 30
abstractions see abstract nouns
clichés 45–6, 63–4
> headline 254–85
misused words 56, 57–63
redundancies 47–8, 83–7
stale expressions 87–90
wasteful words 75–83
wasteful words 75–83
Webster’s Dictionary 56
weekly newspapers 104–5, 196, 200
‘while’ 63
White Papers 68
wills, reporting of 185–6, 219
wordiness 20–1, 64–74
redundancies 46–8, 83–7
wasteful words 75–83
see also abstract nouns/abstractions
words see vocabulary