" My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace,...

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" My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each message should be (a) in English, (b) clear and trenchant in its style, (c) logical in its structure and (d) devoid of gobbledygook." -John F. Kennedy

Transcript of " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace,...

Page 1: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

" My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each message should be (a) in English, (b) clear and trenchant in its style, (c) logical in its structure and (d) devoid of gobbledygook."

-John F. Kennedy

Page 2: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

"Never use two words when one word will serve better" (Essential Feature Writing).

Page 3: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

"Write with verbs and nouns. The adverb signifies the failure to find the right verb; the adjective, failure to find the right noun." - Donald Murray

Page 4: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

"To write simply is as difficult as to be good." - W. Somerset Maugham

Page 5: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

“ I like short sentences. They’re forceful, and they can get you out of big trouble.” - Annie Dillard

Page 6: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

"Simple, short sentences don't always work. You have to do tricks with pacing, alternate long sentences with short, to keep it vital and alive. Virtually every page is a cliffhanger—you've got to force them to turn it." - Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)

Page 7: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

"Choose the passive when you don't know who did it, your readers don't care who did it, or you don't want them to know who did it." - Joseph M. Williams

Page 8: " My own old fashioned belief is that every Presidential message should be a model of grace, lucidity and taste in expression. At the very least, each.

"In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigor it will give your style." -Sydney Smith