A fumblerule is a rule of language or linguistic style, humorously written in such a way that it breaks this rule.

The science 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 on Sunday, 4 November 1979, in his column "On Language" in The New York Times. 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 infinitives."
  • "Never use no double negatives."
  • "No sentence fragments."
  • "Parentheses are (almost always) unnecessary."
  • "The passive voice 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, 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

  • The Fumblerules of Grammar by William Safire
  • Fumblerules entry on the alt.usage.english FAQ
  • Hacker writing style section of JARGON FILE, VERSION 4.3.3, 20 SEP 2002