Essential English
Page 32
acquittal
clearance
defence
vulnerable (adj)
suspect
tender
weak
W
warranty (n)
bond
pledge
promise
withhold (vb)
ban
bar
deny
keep back
refuse
wreckage (n)
damage
debris
rubble
ruins
waste
Notes
1. Writing English Prose, by William Brewster (New York: Henry Holt, 1913), p. 171.
2. The Art of Readable Writing, by Rudolf Flesch (New York: Harper and Bros, 1949), pp. 106–17.
3. Watch Your Language, by Theodore M. Bernstein (New York: Channel Press, 1958), p. 126. See also More Language that Needs Watching, by Theodore M. Bernstein (New York: Channel Press, 1962).
4. The Reader Over Your Shoulder, by Robert Graves and Alan Hodge (London: Jonathan Cape, 1948), p. 51; (also published London: Mayflower, 1962; Cape Paperback, 1965).
5. My Life and Hard Times, by James Thurber (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1950), p. 150; (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1948).
6. Elements of Style, by W. Strunk Jnr (New York: Macmillan, 1959).
7. A Writer’s Notes on his Trade, by C. E. Montague (Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1949), p. 147.
8. The Reader Over Your Shoulder, by Graves and Hodge, p. 53.
9. Usage and Abuse, by Eric Partridge (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1954), p. 121 (also published Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1963).
10. Plain Words, by Sir Ernest Gowers (London: HM Stationery Office, 1948).
11. Watch Your Language, by Bernstein, p. 132.
12. A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, by H. W. Fowler (Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 1965), p. 148.
13. Concise Usage and Abusage, by Eric Partridge (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1954), and Doing it in Style, by Leslie Sellers (Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1968), p. 166.
14. A Dictionary of Clichés, by Eric Partridge (London: Routledge, 1940).
15. Watch Your Language, by Bernstein, p. 223.
Index
abbreviations: use in intros 118–19
absolute adjectives 46–7
abstract nouns/abstractions 14–15, 32–6
in headlines 230
in officialese 34
in place of verbs 42–4, 52–3, 254
and wordiness 36–44, 94
accidents, reporting:
background interest 178, 179–80
accuracy:
headlines 212, 213–14
quotations 27, 70–1, 146–7
action stories 121–6, 133
active voice (verbs), use of 22–5
in headlines 219–20
‘activity’ 37
‘acute’ see ‘chronic’
adjectives 42, 44–6
absolute 46
and abstract nouns 42
in headlines 245, 248–9
meaningless 46–7
of quantity or measure 48
redundant 83–7
in stale expressions 87–90
superlatives 46
‘admit, to’ 52
adverbs 44, 48
redundant 83–7
in stale expressions 87–90
‘affect’/‘effect’ 57
‘affirm, to’ 52
air crashes 178
‘alibi’ 57
‘alien’ see ‘immigrant’
allusions (in headlines) 239, 240
‘along the lines of . . .’ 83
alternative words:
for headlines 254–85
for wasteful words 75–83
‘alternatives’/‘choices’ 57
‘amenities’ 38–9
Americans/American newspapers:
abstractions/abstract nouns 34–5
background given 162, 168
cutting methods 9
editors 4
grammatical headlines 210–11
new meanings to words 56
news lead example 143–5
prepositional verbs 55
repetition of source 48–9
wordiness 8, 14–15, 31
see also New York Times
‘antagonist’ see ‘protagonist’
‘anticipate’/‘expect’ 57–8
‘anxious’ 58
Arnold, Matthew 14
articles:
definite 32
indefinite 32, 105, 238
‘as far as. . . is concerned’ 54
attribution see sources
Austen, Jane: Pride and Prejudice 21–2
Australian newspapers 31, 116
background information:
in action stories 124
in American newspapers 162, 168
and headline writing 207
for intelligibility 162–78
for interest 178–80
‘basis’ 38
Bearak, Barry: news story 126–32
Bernstein, Theodore: Watch Your Language 51, 245
bills, Parliamentary 68
‘breach’/‘breech’ 58
Brewster, William: Writing English Prose 17, 29
business news:
headlines 243–4
source identification 101
take-over bids 179
‘capability’ 38
catch-phrases/catchwords 57
in headlines 239, 245, 250–1
Catledge, Turner 33
‘causal’ 58
‘celebrant’/‘celebrator’ 58
Chandler, Sol 116
‘character’ 38
Chesterton, G. K. 204
‘choices’ see ‘alternatives’
Christiansen, Arthur 214
‘chronic’/‘acute’ 58
chronology:
in action stories 121–4
in intros 97–100
‘claim, to’ 52
clauses, subordinate/subsidiary 15, 17, 18–20
in intros 93–6
clichés 63–4
noun-adjective combinations 45–6
see also stale expressions
‘climax’ see ‘crescendo’
clippings, library 178–80
‘cohort’/‘henchman’ 58
compendium stories 180
compound and complex sentences 17, 18, 22
see clauses
‘comprise’/‘compose’ 58
‘condition’ 38
Connolly, Cyril 15
contrariness, test of 148–9
copydesks 1, 2–3, 10
copy-editors/copy-readers (US) 2, 4
see text editors
copy-tasters 5, 6
court reports 6, 71–2, 74
giving background 163
headlines 214
and monologophobia 52
police language 55, 71, 72
story-telling technique 119, 183–5
‘cozening’/‘cosseting’ 58
‘credible’/‘credulous’ 58
‘crescendo’/‘climax’ 58
deaths 48, 219
see also accidents; obituaries
‘decimate’/‘destroy’ 58–9
‘declare, to’ 52
definite article 32
delayed intros 119–20
‘dependant’/‘dependent’ 59
‘deprecate’/‘depreciate’ 59
‘destroy’ see ‘decimate’
details 33
in feature leads 201
in intros 105–9
in news leads 133
Dickens, Charles 91
‘dilemma’/‘problem’ 59
direct speech 64, see quotations
‘discomfit’/‘discomfort’ 59
‘disinterested’/‘uninterested’ 56, 59
Disraeli, Benjamin 162
Doane, Eugene 92
&
nbsp; double negatives 26
Dunn, Peter 203
economical writing 30–2
in intros 108–12
editors:
copy (US) 2, 4
projection 5, 6–7
sub 1, 4, 8–9
text 4, 7, 8, 9–13, 15–17, 30
‘effect’ see ‘affect’
emphasis:
and credibility 46
delaying intros 119–20
‘enervate’/’energise’ 59
‘entomb’/‘entrap’ 59
evening newspapers 6, 8, 11
‘exotic’ 59
‘expect’ see ‘anticipate’
explanation see background information
‘explicit’/‘implicit’ 59
‘extent’ 38
‘facilities’ 38
‘fact that. . .’ 39
‘farther’ see ‘further’
features:
chronology 97, 197, 200, 201
delayed intros 195–6
detail 200, 201
editors 202, 203
headlines 241–3
story-telling technique 195–203
Feiffer, Jules 15
‘fewer’ see ‘less’
‘field’ 39
‘in the field of. . .’ 54
Flaubert, Gustave 232
‘flaunt’/‘flout’ 59–60
Flesch, Rudolf: The Art of Readable Writing 18
‘forego’/‘forgo’ 60
foreign stories:
headlines 226
references to figures 180
see also background information
Fowler, H. W.: A Dictionary of Modern English Usage 36–7, 51, 55, 241, 254
‘fulsome’/‘full’ 60
‘further’/‘farther’ 60
geographical names 104–5, 180
in headlines 226–7
government officials see official language
Gowers, Sir Ernest: Plain Words 47, 48
grammar 16, 17
in headlines 210–12
and pedantry 55, 211
Graves, Robert, and Hodge, Alan: The Reader Over Your Shoulder 24, 34
Guinness Book of Records 179
Haley, Sir William 10
headlines 7, 8, 204–8, 214–15
accuracy 205, 212, 213
business news 243–4
catch-phrases/catchwords 239, 245, 250–1
clumsy constructions 245, 253
detail 208–10, 224–6, 230–1
grammatical traps 210–12
features 241–3
free-style 237–9
headlinese 244–53
humour 239–41
hyphenation 247
impartiality 212–13
key words 232–3, 235–7, 243
labels 233–5
location 226–7
metaphors 245, 251–2
negativity 205, 228–30
nouns as adjectives 245, 246–8
omission of words 238, 245, 249–50
plural adjectives 245, 248–9
positive 228–30
puns 239, 240–1
slang 246
sports 243, 244
treatment of subject 220–4
use of verbs 215–20, 235–7, 245, 252
vocabulary 254–85
Hemingway, Ernest: A Farewell to Arms 91
‘henchman’ see ‘cohort’
Hodge, Alan see Graves, Robert
Holden, David 202–3
hospital reporting 73
human interest 10, 16, 33, 111, 180, 181, 197, 200
hyphenation (in headlines) 247
idioms, new 56–7
‘immigrant’ 60
impartiality, maintaining 167–8, 212–13
‘implicit’ see ‘explicit’
‘in connection with. . .’ 54
‘in relation to. . .’ 54
‘in respect of. . .’ 54
‘in the case of. . .’ 54
‘in the field of. . .’ 54
indefinite article 32, 105, 238
‘inflammable’/‘inflammatory’ 60
interpretation see impartiality
intransitive verbs 23
intros (introductions) 91ff.
abbreviations 118–19
action stories 97–8, 121–2
anaemic 108–9
background 166
chronology 97–100
delayed 119–20, 195–6
key words 112–14
length 92–3
overloaded 93, 105–8, 191, 193
portmanteau 118
pronouns 95–6, 103
questions 118
quotations 114–18
relevance to audience 103–5, 111–12
source-obsessed 100–5, 191, 193
to speeches 147, 148
to statement–opinion stories 133, 134, 135–8
subsidiary clauses 93–6, 97, 98–9
telegram technique 109–11
tenses 116–17
‘invaluable’/‘valueless’ 60
‘involved’ 60
‘issue’ 39–40
‘it is appreciated that. . .’ 83
‘it should be noted that. . .’ 83
‘judicious’/‘judicial’ 60
key words:
in headlines 232–3, 235–7, 242, 243
to indicate background 167
in intros 112–14
labour disputes, reporting 168–9, 218–19
‘lay’/‘lie’ 60–1
leads (US) see intros
legal language 55
see court reports
‘lend’ see ‘loan’
‘less’/‘fewer’ 61
Lewis, Anthony 168
libel 183–4
library clippings 178–80
‘licence’/‘license’ 61
‘lie’ see ‘lay’
‘literally’ 61
‘livid’/‘angry’ 61
‘loan’/‘lend’ 61
local newspapers:
headlines 226–7