Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Fumblerules

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A fumblerule is a rule of language or linguistic style, humorously written in such a way that it breaks this rule. Fumblerules are a form of self-reference.

The science editor George L. Trigg published a list of such rules in 1979. The term fumblerules was coined in a list of such rules compiled by William Safire on Sunday, 4 November 1979, in his column "On Language" in the New York Times. Safire later authored a book titled Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage, which was reprinted in 2005 as How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar.

Examples

  • "Never use no double negatives."
  • "Eschew obfuscation."
  • "Prepositions are not words to end a sentence with."
  • "Avoid clichés like the plague."
  • "The passive voice should never be employed."
  • "You should not use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice."
  • "It is bad to carelessly split infinitives."
  • "No sentence fragments."
  • "Parentheses are (almost always) unnecessary."
  • "English is the crème de la crème of all languages."
  • "Don't listen to any advice."

    • References

    Fumblerules Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA