words. Use short and simple words whenever they
will serve your turn. It is a mistake to suppose that a fluent use of
long words is a mark either of depth of thought or of extent of
information. The following bit of nonsense is taken from the news
columns of a newspaper of good standing: "The topography about Puebla
avails itself easily to a force which can utilize the heights above the
city with cannon." What was meant was probably something like this, "The
situation of Puebla is such as to give a great advantage to a force
which can plant cannon on the high ground overlooking the city."

Do not use inflated or exaggerated words.

A _heavy shower_ is not a _cloud burst_; a _gale_ is not a _blizzard_; a
_fire_ is not a _conflagration_; an _accident_ or a _defeat_ is not a
_disaster_; a _fatal accident_ is not a _holocaust_; a _sharp criticism_
is not an _excoriation_ or _flaying_, and so on.

_Rules for Correct Writing_

More than a century ago the great Scotch rhetorician Campbell framed
five canons or rules for correct writing. They have never been improved.
They should be learned by heart, thoroughly mastered, and constantly
practiced by every writer and speaker. They are as follows:

Canon 1.--When, of two words or phrases in equally good use, one is
susceptible of two significations and the other of but one, preference
should be given to the latter: e. g., _admittance_ is better than
_admission_, as the latter word also means _confession_; _relative_ is
to be preferred to _relation_, as the latter also means the telling of a
story.

Canon 2.--In doubtful cases regard should be given to the analogy of the
language; _might better_ should be preferred to _had better_, and _would
rather_ is better than _had rather_.

Canon 3.--The simpler and briefer form should be preferred, other things
being equal, e. g., omit the bracketed words in expressions such as,
_open_ (_up_), _meet_ (_together_), _follow_ (_after_), _examine_
(_into_), _trace_ (_out_), _bridge_ (_over_), _crave_ (_for_), etc.

Canon 4.--Between two forms of expression in equally good use, prefer
the one which is more euphonious: e. g., _most beautiful_ is better than
_beautifullest_, and _more free_ is to be preferred to _freer_.

Canon 5.--In cases not covered by the four preceding canons, prefer that
which conforms to the older usage: e. g., _begin_ is better than
_commence_.

_The Sentence_

The proper construction of senten