It’s time for a little spring cleaning in the writing department; a bit of a re-boot with the goal of improving clarity, succinctness and impact in what I write. Along with some answers to the proper use of seemingly similar words such as though and although, I’ve discovered a few, new-to-me, rules of the English language.
Recently I came across “The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase” by Mark Forsyth. He explains that adjectives in English ABSOLUTELY have to be in this order: opinion – size – age – shape – colour – origin – material – purpose, noun. So, you can have a lovely, little, old, rectangular, green, French, silver, whittling knife. He warns that if you mess with that word order in the slightest, you’ll sound like a maniac. The order seems somewhat instinctual but I haven’t put it to the test with my own writing yet. I do know that ‘brown, lazy, dog’ doesn’t sound right and that, as size comes before colour, a green, great, dragon can’t exist. Read more