Klarinet Archive - Posting 000920.txt from 2000/03
From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay) Subj: Re: [kl] Omit needless syllables Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 20:55:11 -0500
On Fri, 24 Mar 2000 17:39:42 -0800, wde1@-----.com said:
> Tony Pay wrote:
>
> "'Omit unnecessary words' (Strunk and White)"
>
> For the record, the instruction is "omit needless words."
Thanks, Bill. I didn't check.
Just in passing, I was persuaded a few years ago by a wise friend of
mine that the 'needless' in the instruction has to be read in both
directions: that is, as also meaning, *don't* omit *needful* words.
Sometimes we can be led into false economy in writing, and be unwilling
to repeat a word -- even when repeating that word would actually make
the sense of the passage clearer.
Example:
'We will be serious if you will be serious.'
This sort of patterning is also very poweful in music.
Anyone further interested, try this reference:
http://www.atm.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/mem/papers/LHCE/lucidity-supplem-index.html
...also the directory one level up, namely:
http://www.atm.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/mem/papers/LHCE/
Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
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