Politics and the English Language – George Orwell [Essay]

1946. He could have been writing about today.

A TLDR:

He argues that political language is banal, often couched in pretentious, sophisticated-sounding phrases which amount to nothing, but sound profound to the inattentive listener. Instead, we should communicate clearly and directly. If politicians did this, “…when you make a stupid remark its stupidity will be obvious, even to yourself. Political language – and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists – is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”

And here are his rules to follow:

i. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

ii. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

iii. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

iv. Never use the passive where you can use the active.

v. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

vi. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.