Tag archives: George Orwell

Keep calm, and say it plainly

Ever since I first read an ancient edition of Ernest Gowers’ book on plain English about fifteen years ago, I’ve tried to put his guidelines into practice whenever I write. I don’t always get it right – I’m sure you’ll catch me out in this piece of writing – but I always try. What is [...]

Posted on: June 11 2012 | Posted by: | Comments: 10 | Categories: Grammar and writing help | Tags: , , , , , , ,

What inspired the language of A Clockwork Orange?

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. His dystopian novel, set sometime in the near-future, tells the story of teenage anti-hero Alex and his gang of friends, and their violent escapades. Tea-drinking and toast-munching Or put another way, it tells the story of Alex and his [...]

Posted on: May 14 2012 | Posted by: | Comments: 0 | Categories: English in use, Word origins | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,