George Orwell, "Politics And The English Language"

1. What is Orwell's argument?

The english language is slowly decaying due to the bad writing habits and imitation of these. We need to focus more on the meaning of what we want to write so the words we choose express it clearly.We cannot change the style of some of the writings, but we can change the bad habits with which we write.

2. Identify two cases of irony:

In operators or verbal false limbs there is irony shown at the end of the argument when he end it with " so on and so forth", instead of writing simple conjunctions or prepositions he writes end it with a phrase that must be avoided.

When he uses similes or metaphors without conveying the right image in the reader after saying a writer must avoid it. "When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink"(Orwell). The cuttle fish does not create the correct image the writer would want to express.

3. Define:

Dying metaphor: Worn out metaphors which have lost their meaning and they save people the trouble from being original. 

Pretentious diction: Words, usually foreign ones, that dress up simple statements, they use them instead of using a correct english word that can best describe what the writer wants to express. 

Meaningless words: Words that lack their true meaning because they are interpreted by everyone differently and no one really knows the truth of it.

Ten steps:

-Ask yourself the following questions when writing: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image it idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

-Try to reflect in your writing what you want to express in the simplest way possible.

-Be original, don't use cliches. 

-Never use the passive if you can use active voice.

-Never use pretentious words if you can think of an English word that is simpler and means the same.

-Never use something that has already been seen in print before.

-Avoid wordiness or words that don't contribute with what you want to express.

-It is not a matter of length but of quality.

-Don't try to sound smart by adding words or phrases just write what you want to express.

-"Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous"(Orwell).