With a sort of eloquence that moved the whole House, he did lay out all his own errors and the ill spirit that he was in when he committed the things that were charged on him. He spoke with so tender a sense that he seemed as one indifferent what they should do with him. Without so much as moving for mercy or even for a delay, he did so effectually prevail on them that they recommended him to the king as a fit object for mercy.
4. Use no word of which you do not know the exact meaning.
Neglect of this rule led some one to write:
At the dedication of the Gettysburg Monument, President Lincoln gave the ovation.
5. Do not use long words if you can find short ones.
The barber who advertised himself as “a first-class tonsorial artist and facial operator,” meant only that he could cut hair and shave well.
6. Arrange the different parts of each sentence so that they convey the meaning which you intend.
The following sentence is badly arranged:—
He tells stories which Mountain would be shocked to hear after dinner.—Thackeray: The Virginians.