rse fault than the repetition of the same word. See, for examples,
the extract from Sir Archibald Alison, at the end of the book. Thus
"_A burning thirst_ for conquests is a characteristic of this nation.
It is an _ardent passion_ that &c." Other instances are--"The
_universal_ opinion of _all_ men;" "His judgment is so _infallible_
that it is _never deceived_," &c.

*55. Parenthesis may be used with advantage to brevity.*

"We are all (and who would not be?) offended at the treatment we have
received," is shorter and more forcible than the sentence would have
been if the parenthesis had been appended in a separate sentence:
"Who, indeed, would not be offended?"

Extreme care must, however, be taken that a parenthesis may not
obscure the meaning of a long sentence.

*56. Caution: let clearness be the first consideration.* It is best,
at all events for beginners, not to aim so much at being brief, or
forcible, as at being perfectly clear. Horace says, "While I take
pains to be brief, I fall into obscurity," and it may easily be seen
that several of the rules for brevity interfere with the rules for
clearness.

Forcible style springs from (1) vividness and (2) exactness of
thought, and from a corresponding (1) vividness and (2) exactness in
the use of words.

(1) When you are describing anything, endeavour to _see_ it and
describe it as you see it. If you are writing about a man who was
killed, _see_ the man before you, and ask, was he _executed_, _cut
down_, _run through the body_, _butchered_, _shot_, or _hanged_? If
you are writing about the capture of a city, was the city _stormed_,
_surprised_, _surrendered_, _starved out_, or _demolished before
surrender_? Was an army _repelled_, _defeated_, _routed_, _crushed_,
or _annihilated_?

(2) Exactness in the use of words requires an exact knowledge of their
meanings and differences. This is a study by itself, and cannot be
discussed here.[17]

FOOTNOTES:

[17] See _English Lessons for English People_, pp. 1-53.

EXERCISES

_For an explanation of the manner in which these Exercises are
intended to be used, see the Preface._

_A number in brackets by itself, or followed by a letter,_ e.g. _(43),
(40 a), refers to the Rules._

_Letters_ by themselves _in brackets_, e.g. _(b), refer to the
explanations or hints appended to each sentence._

_N.B..--(10 a) refers to the first section of Rule (10); (10 a') to
the Rule following Rule (10)._

1. "P