Well Put!

Dec 01, 2004 18:10


I want to share with you an excerpt from English Prime, the idea of eliminating the verb "to be" from conversation and writing. All your English professors have bugged you with it (mostly in the name of sloppy passive tense or "action" verbs) for no good reason, but this site gives a very clear explanation of its advantages.
"English Prime means ( Read more... )

Leave a comment

Comments 12

son_of_hob December 1 2004, 20:04:22 UTC
thats great, but let me see if i have this right, instead of saying "john is a footbal player" the primal saying would be "john plays football" or something else? "john is a footbal player" and "john plays football" have slightly different connotations, but if i understand correctly that is the point.

i couldn't get the link to work by the way.

Reply


working link nothnbutshadows December 1 2004, 20:48:57 UTC
http://www.wonderfulwritingskillsunhandbook.com/html/e-prime.html

enjoy, all. i only got a chance to peruse it briefly, but i am always trying to improve my clarity in writing, so thank you!

p.s. al kelly would probably love that site!

Reply

Re: working link themadjuggler December 2 2004, 09:00:48 UTC
Ah, thanks for the link-fix!

Reply


nooshy14 December 1 2004, 20:57:57 UTC
speaking of people who subscribe to this idea, today when i was walking by root i saw professor yao lose his cowboy hat to a particularly strong gust of wind and drop his briefcase in a puddle in order to chase after it.

it was unbearably cute/tragic/yao. thought you'd like to hear about it. :)

Reply

themadjuggler December 2 2004, 08:57:04 UTC
While reading this, I could think of no one else. Seriously.

The only thing missing from that story is the pipe!

Reply


ex_ballerin December 2 2004, 01:13:47 UTC
Hey Chris Fazio. My mom always asks about how you're doing in France. I have to say, it annoys me. Hope you're doing well though!
-Irene

Reply

themadjuggler December 2 2004, 09:05:56 UTC
Tell her, "c'est chouette!" (SAY shooWET)

Wait? Do you take French, Irene? No, German?

Reply

ex_ballerin December 2 2004, 23:44:13 UTC
I took French for a while, not this year. No German, however! I will tell her chouette.

Reply


fidelity_astro December 2 2004, 01:16:37 UTC
straw man! of course you can "be" a football player and "be" something else at the same time. exclusivity is not implied by "to be."

yes, in some cases "english prime" could clear up muddled thinking (not that i can think of a single one right now), but at the expense of clear and succinct writing.

also, i tried switching to english prime back in high school, and the consensus was that it was obnoxious.

Reply

themadjuggler December 2 2004, 08:59:18 UTC
I think it would only seem obnoxious if, like me, you talked about it to friends in an online setting. Because think about it, you sound more like a story-teller than a reporter if you narrate with strong verbs that link a definite subject with the object.

Reply


Leave a comment

Up