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Late-1979, New York Times columnist William Safire compiled a list of "Fumblerules of Grammar"
— rules of writing, all of which are humorously self-contradictory — and published them in his
popular column, "On Language". Those 36 fumblerules can be seen below, along with another 18
that later featured in Safire's book, Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good
Usage.
Trivia: Safire previously worked as a speechwriter and was, in 1969, responsible for penning
Nixon's thankfully unused and incredibly chilling "IN EVENT OF MOON DISASTER" speech.
6. Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.
7. Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.
13. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be
avoided by rereading and editing.
18. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words,
to their antecedents.
24. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
25. Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language.
26. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
30. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole.
32. Don't string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the
valley of the shadow of death.
36. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; They're old hat; seek viable alternatives.
37. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
44. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you
know."
46. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.