Fumblerules

A fumblerule is a rule of language or linguistic style, humorously written in such a way that it breaks this rule. Fumblerules are a form of self-reference.

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."