Politics and the English language
an essay
by George Orwell · first published 1947
53% recommend44% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short essay on writing plainly: avoid stale metaphors, jargon, and long words where short ones work, and let meaning choose the word. Suits anyone who writes, and anyone wary of vague political language.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…me was his idea that it is very expensive to be poor. I read Shooting an Elephant for an English class. It's hard not to think of the pointlessness of the Great Game when thinking about Afghanistan. Politics and the English Language, Notes on Nationalism, ... Orwell was a great writer. Hitchens wanted to be Orwell. Hitchens was good but, nope, not Orwell. Hitchens was unbelievably wrongly wrong about Iraq and would never admit it.…
on “Shooting an Elephant (1936)” ↗I know very little about you. I've been talking about the signature shape of your arguments. And I don't know anything of your motivations. Have you read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language"? If so you'll understand that it is possible, indeed sometimes common, for people to take rhetorical stances without actually understanding the position they are taking, out of a reflexive support for…
on “Joe Biden tried to ban email encryption back in 1991” ↗If you get the chance, read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language." Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never us a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always…
on “Writing Clear, Concise, Sentences” ↗Clarence's decision and the decision of many other politicians is likely the product of Orwell's writing. After reading Orwell's "Collection of Essays" I've been doing the same. In his essay, "Politics and the English Language." Orwell boils down good writing to: 1. “Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.” 2. “Never use a long word where a short one will do.” 3. “If…
on “Why Clarence Thomas Uses Simple Words in His Opinions” ↗…there are important differences as I found out. We engineers are proud of our knowledge software patterns but writers snub their nose at word-patterns, calling them clichés. Why, George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language" shook my belief system to the very core! The pinnacle of our skill set is our ability to abstract objects, and the highest animal in our food chain, the software architect is paid big bucks because he…
I'll give you the top one: Politics and the English Language by Orwell. Reading this as a young man sent me down a wonderful road of critical thinking and skepticism and altered my life in a major way... no guarantee it'll do the same for you, though.
on “The Secret Power of ‘Read It Later’ Apps” ↗…piles of writing about writing (about writing -- gaah ... self-referential recursion! No one escapes a medium describing itself.). Some of the classics are: * The Elements of Style - Strunk and White * Politics and the English Language - Orwell https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm * Hemingway on Writing https://www.scribd.com/doc/156100470/Ernest-Hemingway-on-Wri... * Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style - Erasmus…
on “There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer” ↗"Politics and the English Language" is unquestionably one of Orwell's most important essays. Kind of amazing that this post overlooks it.
on “I say, damn it, where are the beds? New books on Orwell” ↗…grammarian, and Strunk and White are perhaps prose writers, but not scholars of grammar. Meanwhile I thought that most readers of English could learn a lot about good writing by reading George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language," http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm or http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit which deals with more important issues than Strunk and White anyway, and is very…
on “Geoffrey Pullum continues his critique of Strunk & White [audio]” ↗And for good writing in general, read Orwell's Politics and the English Language. 1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 2. Never us a long word where a short one will do. 3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always…
on “30 Days to Better Business Writing” ↗For a thoughtful critique of language used badly, I've always liked Politics and the English Language (http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/index.cgi/work/essays/language.htm...) Most of the points mentioned in the article misidentify the problem or give bad advice. > Powerpoint is the ultimate in the depletion…
on “Weasel words and the absurdity of corporate speak” ↗I'm a big fan of this style, and I recommend Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" as the canonical take on it. He would have a field day with "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques"! http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm There is a tradeoff here though. Shakespeare's language…
on “Writing English as a Second Language” ↗George Orwell's Politics and the English Language (which should be required reading for everyone) has a section titled "Meaningless words" which contains this wonderful sentence: "The words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice…
on “Republicans: No compromise possible on net neutrality” ↗No discussion on this topic is complete without George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" essay[1]. It shiws this isn't a recent issue, and is systemic throughout the English world. Everybody who wants to communicate well should read this regularly. It is far easier to write abstractly than…
on “I Don't Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore” ↗This is fine as far as it goes, but -- ironically, given its subject -- I found it a little vapid. Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" is my preferred commentary on English writing style: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4272608
on “How to say nothing in 500 words” ↗