_Purity_ of style consists in using words which are reputable, national
and present, which means that the words are in current use by the best
authorities, that they are used throughout the nation and not confined to
one particular part, and that they are words in constant use at the
present time.

There are two guiding principles in the choice of words,--_good use_
and _good taste_. _Good use_ tells us whether a word is right or wrong;
_good taste_, whether it is adapted to our purpose or not.

A word that is obsolete or too new to have gained a place in the
language, or that is a provincialism, should not be used.

Here are the Ten Commandments of English style:

(1) Do not use foreign words.

(2) Do not use a long word when a short one will serve your purpose.
_Fire_ is much better than _conflagration_.

(3) Do not use technical words, or those understood only by specialists
in their respective lines, except when you are writing especially for
such people.

(4) Do not use slang.

(5) Do not use provincialisms, as "I guess" for "I think"; "I reckon" for
"I know," etc.

(6) Do not in writing prose, use poetical or antiquated words: as "lore,