Tips for Proper English

Avoid affected, awkward alliteration. Always.

Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.

Employ the vernacular.

Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

Remember to never split an infinitive.

Contractions aren't necessary.

Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

One should never generalize.

Follow the advice of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

Be more or less specific.

Understatement is always best.

One-word sentences? Eliminate.

Bad analogies are like feathers on a snake.

The passive voice is to be avoided.

Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

Who needs rhetorical questions?

Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

Don't never use a double negation.

capitalize every sentence and remember always end it with a period

Do not put statements in the negative form.

Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

A writer must not shift your point of view.

And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

Don't overuse exclamation marks!!

Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.

Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

Always pick on the correct idiom.

The adverb always follows the verb.

Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.

Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.

No sentence fragments.

Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.

Avoid run-on sentences, they are hard to read.

If a dependent clause precedes an independent clause put a comma after the dependent clause.

Don't use contractions in formal writing.

When using a numbered list, proofread the numbers as well.

If I've told you once, I've told you a million times—don't exaggerate, and don't repeat yourself.

It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms.

Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; they're old hat; seek viable alternatives.

Avoid improper forms of verbs that have snuck into the language.