In his essay “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell provides six simple rules for all writers of English. If a writer were to follow only six guidelines in their writing, these may well be the best six. As Orwell notes in his essay, simply following these rules won’t make for good writing, but it’s a step in the right direction. Encourage students to heed his advice.

Place Orwell’s rules on your classroom wall and refer to them frequently.

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, do so.
4. Never use the passive voice where you can use an active voice verb.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or jargon if you can think  of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules rather than say anything outright barbarous.