But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence t… - William Zinsser

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But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long words that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that's already in the verb. every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what-these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to education and rank.

William Zinsser

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writing-advice writing writing

English

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About William Zinsser

William Knowlton Zinsser (born October 7, 1922 – May 12, 2015 ) was an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic, and editorial writer, and has been a longtime contributor to leading magazines.

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Alternative Names: William Knowlton Zinsser

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My roster of the new literature, in short, would include all the writers who come bearing new information and who present it with vigor, clarity and humanity.

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I don’t know what still newer marvels will make writing twice as easy in the next 30 years. But I do know they won’t make writing twice as good. That will still require plain old hard thinking — what E. B. White was doing in his boathouse — and the plain old tools of the English language.

But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long words that could… - William Zinsser

About William Zinsser

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