A fumblerule is a rule of language or linguistic style, humorously written in such a way that it breaks this rule.[1] Fumblerules are a form of self-reference.
The science editor George L. Trigg published a list of such rules in 1979.[2] The term fumblerules was coined in a list of such rules compiled by William Safire on Sunday, 4 November 1979,[3][4] 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
- "Avoid clichés like the plague."
- "Don't listen to any advice."
- "Ending a sentence with a preposition is one thing that I will not put up with."
- "English is the crème de la crème of all languages."
- "Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation."
- "It is bad to carelessly split infinitives."
- "Never use no double negatives."
- "No sentence fragments."
- "Parentheses are (almost always) unnecessary."
- "The passive voice should never be employed."
- "You should not use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice."
See also
- Muphry's law – An adage that states: "If you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written."
References
- ^ Dennis Joseph Enright (1983). A Mania for Sentences. Chatto & Windus/Hogarth Press.
- ^ Trigg, George L. (1979-03-19). "GRAMMAR". Physical Review Letters. American Physical Society (APS). 42 (12): 747–748. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.42.747. ISSN 0031-9007.
- ^ alt.usage.english.org's Humorous Rules for Writing
- ^ Safire, William (1979-11-04). "On Language; The Fumblerules of Grammar". New York Times. p. SM4.
External links