EppsNet Archive: Language

Vagueness and Sheer Incompetence

by Paul Epps on 9 Sep 2003

This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. As soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems to be able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed; prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse. — George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” (1945) I am so glad to hear that, because I try to read political commentary every now and then, and I can very rarely figure out what if anything is being said. I thought it was just me. Read more →

Overheard

by Paul Epps on 3 Jul 2003

You can’t beat that with a sharp stick! Why does the stick have to be sharp if you’re just going to beat something with it? Read more →

Kill the Model Prisoners

by Paul Epps on 4 May 2003

Ohio executes man who killed woman with knife — Reuters His attorneys sought clemency on the grounds that he had been a “model prisoner.” I think if that’s the best thing you can say about someone, it’s time to go ahead and kill him. Footnote: That’s a terrible headline. Did he kill a woman who had a knife? Was he executed with a knife? Some people might argue that that’s cruel and unusual, although I wouldn’t oppose it personally . . . Read more →

Are You Being Served?

by Paul Epps on 10 May 2002

The Guardian sends writers to bookstores to test the staffs’ literary knowledge: I point to the word ‘jawbo’ on page 330 [of Joyce’s Ulysses]. ‘That’s not a word,’ I say. ‘Mmmm,’ he says. ‘It’s rare that publishers make a mistake like that.’ Read more →

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