4 ms·
If you're going to make this point, I like the story of the Oxford literature professor (probably a reader or don or some other weird title, but professor in US
by Tloewald 13y ago
If you're going to make this point, I like the story of the Oxford literature professor (probably a reader or don or some other weird title, but professor in US terms) who walked into class on his first day and said:
"Omit. Needless. Words."
And then:
"Omit. Needless. Words."
And then:
"Omit. Needless. Words."
And then walked out. End of first lecture.
- adambard 13y ago"Eschew surplusage", in the words of Mark Twain.
- ams6110 13y ago"Omit needless words" is from Strunk & White's Elements of Style
- Tloewald 13y agoYes but he follows it with a long paragraph saying the same thing in lots of different, less clear ways. Repeating those three words three times is, in fact, far more effective.