A fumblerule is a rule of language or linguistic style, humorously written in such a way that it breaks this rule. Fumblerules are a form of
self-reference.
The
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...
editor George L. Trigg published a list of such rules in 1979. The term ''fumblerules'' was coined in a list of such rules compiled by
William Safire
William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He w ...
on Sunday, 4 November 1979,
in his column "On Language" in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''. Safire later authored a book titled ''Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage'', which was reprinted in 2005 as ''
How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar''.
Examples
* "Avoid
clichés like the plague."
* "Don't listen to any advice."
* "
Ending a sentence with a preposition is one thing that I will not put up with."
* "English is the ''
crème de la crème'' of all languages."
* "Eschew
obfuscation, espouse elucidation."
* "It is bad to carelessly
split infinitive
A split infinitive is a grammatical construction in which an adverb or adverbial phrase separates the "to" and "infinitive" constituents of what was traditionally called the full infinitive, but is more commonly known in modern linguistics as the ...
s."
* "Never use no
double negatives
A double negative is a construction occurring when two forms of grammatical negation are used in the same sentence. Multiple negation is the more general term referring to the occurrence of more than one negative in a clause. In some languages, d ...
."
* "No
sentence fragment
In grammar, sentence and clause structure, commonly known as sentence composition, is the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar.
Typolog ...
s."
* "
Parentheses
A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...
are (almost always) unnecessary."
* "The
passive voice
A passive voice construction is a grammatical voice construction that is found in many languages. In a clause with passive voice, the grammatical subject expresses the ''theme'' or ''patient'' of the main verb – that is, the person or thing t ...
should never be employed."
* "You should not use a big word when a
diminutive one would suffice."
* "And don't begin a sentence with a connective."
* "Using
discourse markers in academic writing basically sounds terrible, you know."
See also
*
*
Epimenides paradox
The Epimenides paradox reveals a problem with self-reference in logic. It is named after the Cretan philosopher Epimenides of Knossos (alive circa 600 BC) who is credited with the original statement. A typical description of the problem is giv ...
, a self-referential statement by a Cretan that "All Cretans are liars."
* The Hacker Writing Style section of the
Jargon File includes humorous examples of self-referential examples in copyediting, such as "This sentence no verb.", "Bad speling", and "Incorrectspa cing".
References
External links
''The Fumblerules of Grammar'' by William Safire''Fumblerules'' entry on the alt.usage.english FAQ
Word games
Self-reference
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