Taking my mind off things

[serai]

So I'm sitting here internet surfing to try and keep myself occupied, and I ran across this utterly wonderful gem:

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

Brilliant essay on crappy usage of English, the how and why, and the importance of spotting and combatting it. Anyone who wonders why grammar, spelling and proper usage of words is "such a big deal" should read this POST HASTE.

And for those of you who are sick to death of sloppy writing, it's a great link to post when posters get chesty about being corrected.

Plus, an assignment for all of you: After reading that essay, please take some time to contemplate the ubiquitous and egregious misuse of the word "need" in modern English. It's something that has peeved the hell out of me for years now - an ugly trend that can only be stopped by conscious refusal to imitate sloppy and inaccurate speech/writing.

Comments

[angharad001.livejournal.com]

Orwell's essay is one of my favourite things - my students like it too.

We catch ourselves making many of the horrible mistakes deplored by the writer but it is a wonderful reminder of what not to do in writing :D

[vshendria.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I have saved it. I think it will be of some relevance to me in my teaching AND my own writing.