Fumblerules

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 up with which I will not put."
• "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."
• "This sentence has no."
• "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

1. Dennis Joseph Enright (1983). A Mania for Sentences. Chatto & Windus/Hogarth Press.
2. 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.
3. alt.usage.english.org's Humorous Rules for Writing
4. Safire, William (1979-11-04). "On Language; The Fumblerules of Grammar". New York Times. p. SM4.

External links

• The Fumblerules of Grammar by William Safire
• Fumblerules entry on the alt.usage.english FAQ