gee, i thought this was "proper english"

-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen Salkin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 3:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: For a Laugh....


Enjoy!  Kat

How (not) to speak English Properly

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat)
6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
7. Be more or less specific.
8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually)
unnecessary.
9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
10. No sentence fragments.
11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.
12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than
necessary; it's highly superfluous.
14. One should NEVER generalize.
15. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
16. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
17. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
18. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
19. The passive voice is to be ignored.
20. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthet-
ical words however should be enclosed in commas.
21. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would
suffice.
22. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use
them.
23. Understatement is always the absolute best way to
put forth earth-shaking ideas.
24. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
25. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand
times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million
can use it correctly.
26. Puns are for children, not groan readers.
27. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquial-
isms.
28. Even IF a mixed metaphor sings, it should be
derailed.
29. Who needs rhetorical questions?
30. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than under-
statement.

And the last one...

31. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.