Effective writing for healthcare professionals Dorking, UK

This article appeared in the Spring 2001 edition of Short Words, the newsletter of Tim Albert Training. It was written by Wynford Hicks, a freelance journalist and editorial trainer. He is author of English for journalists and Writing for journalists.

A reader comments...

Evans above!

Wynford Hicks bemoans the fate of a landmark book

Once upon a time there was a famous handbook on writing called Newsman's English, written by Harold Evans, then the distinguished editor of the London Sunday Times.

Although aimed at newspaper subeditors, the book gave excellent advice to anyone keen to develop a concise and vigorous writing style. For example: 'The full stop is a great help to sanity' and, 'If it is not a working word, adding sense to a sentence, it should be struck out.'

Avoid clichés, Evans wrote - though he acknowledged that this was a counsel of perfection. Avoid needless repetition - but also what he called monologophobia, compulsive variation. As he put it, 'A monologophobe would edit the Bible so that you would read, 'Let there be light and there was solar illumination'.

As well as giving good advice, the content of Newsman's English was itself an example of the kind of writing it recommended -'lively, lucid and effective prose', as the blurb had it.

The book has been out of print for years, but now it has been republished as a paperback, 'fully revised' by another journalist, Crawford Gillan. Sadly, the new edition does not always follow its own rules.

Take the title. True, the word 'newsman' was sexist and American, but the new title, Essential English for journalists, editors and writers is misleading and long-winded. In no way is Evans a basic textbook on journalistic English: it makes a number of grammatical points, but does not set out to cover the rules of grammar; there is nothing on spelling and punctuation; and, inexplicably, the section on house style has disappeared from the new edition.

The title also breaks the rule (quoted above) that bans padding. Surely the category 'writers' includes 'journalists' - and 'journalists' includes editors.

The reviser's preface does not inspire confidence. It includes sentences such as that shown in the panel (below).

That sentence is long, clumsy and convoluted. It is full of clichés. It manages to combine monologophobia (Sunday Times, the paper) with repetition (Sunday Times, again) and there's no question mark at the end. Very different from his master's voice.

In terms of content the book is much the same, though there is a new section on headlines. The advice given remains highly relevant. But if you are lucky enough to have a copy of the original, hang on to it.

Essential English for journalists, editors and writers, by Harold Evans, revised by Crawford Gillan, Pimlico, Random House, £12.50

About our Courses | Short Words | About Us | Browse Booklists | Ask Questions | Gripes and Groans