Words and expressions
Clutter
1. sprout
If a large number of things sprout (up), they suddenly appear or begin to exist:
New factories have sprouted up everywhere.
2. serve a purpose=to have a use
These small village shops serve a very useful purpose.
3.debase= to reduce the quality or value of something
Some argue that money has debased football.
Our world view has become debased. We no longer have a sense of the sacred.
4.summon
① to order someone to come to or be present at a particular place, or to officially arrange a meeting of people:
General Rattigan summoned reinforcements to help resist the attack.
② to increase your courage or strength, especially with an effort:
It took me six months to summon (up) the courage to ask him out for a drink.
5. stricken
suffering severely from the effects of something unpleasant:
6.laborious: needing a lot of time and effort
7.blunt: not sharp; saying what you think without trying to be polite or considering other people's feelings:
I'll be blunt - that last piece of work you did was terrible.
8.eventuality
something unpleasant or unexpected that might happen or exist in the future:
We've tried to anticipate the most likely problems, but it's impossible to be prepared for all eventualities/every eventuality.
9.ponderous
① slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large:
He had a slow and ponderous manner.
② If a book, speech, or style of writing or speaking is ponderous, it is boring because it is too slow, long, or serious:
The ponderous reporting style makes the evening news dull viewing.
10.hobo: someone who does not have a job or a house and who moves from one place to another
11. go amok: to be out of control and act in a wild or dangerous manner:
The soldiers ran amok after one of their senior officers was killed.
The two dogs ran amok in a school playground.
12. belly up: If a company or plan goes belly up, it fails:
The business went belly up after only six months.
13. indefensible
① too bad to be protected from criticism:
His opinions/attitudes are completely indefensible.
② not able to be protected against attack:
indefensible borders
14. nuisance：something or someone that annoys you or causes trouble for you:
I've forgotten my umbrella - what a nuisance!
15. camouflage：something that is meant to hide something, or behaviour that is intended to hide the truth:
16.juncture: a particular point in time:
At this juncture, it is impossible to say whether she will make a full recovery.
17. vortex
① a mass of air or water that spins around very fast and pulls objects into its empty centre
② a dangerous or bad situation in which you become more and more involved and from which you cannot escape:
I was sucked into a vortex of despair.
18. harbor: to have in mind a thought or feeling, usually over a long period:
He harbored the suspicion that someone in the agency was spying for the enemy.
19. insidious: (of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm:
High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.
20. intact: complete and in the original state:
21. festoon: to decorate a room or other place for a special occasion by hanging coloured paper, lights, or flowers around it, especially in curves:
The hall was festooned with Christmas lights and holly.
22. with more economy: the intentional saving of money or, less commonly, the saving of time, energy, words, etc.:
This can be done by machines with more speed and economy.
Style
1. bloat: to swell up, or to make someone or something swollen:
If I eat it, my stomach bloats up.
2. in strength: in large numbers:
Demonstrators arrived in strength to protest against the military action.
3. hedge:
① to limit something severely:
We've got permission, but it's hedged about/around with strict conditions.
② to try to avoid giving an answer or taking any action:
Stop hedging and tell me what you really think.
Highlights
Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn's be there.
Beware of all the slippery new fad words.
I still see your brackets-they are following me through life.
Writing is an intimate transaction between two people, conducted on paper, and it will go well to the extent that it retains its humanity.
Good writers are visible just behind their words.
Remarks
Clutter章节中作者反复提到写作应当言简意赅、避免歧义，直呼clutter是ponderous euphemism, political correctness与official language used by corporations， 并引用了乔治奥威尔的大作作为论据。作为经受过托福（作文29）和GRE（作文5）荼毒的一员，我表示赞同。其实应试虽然有固定的一套标准，譬如erater会刻意扫描“大词”和复杂从句，但是托福作文要求的还是“用清晰的方式阐明基本论点”，GRE作文更是极少着墨在考生的华丽用词上，托福水平的词汇基本可以对付，逻辑才是它关注的核心。缜密的逻辑就是能让读者看懂的最基本前提。
关于言简意赅，作者举了一些意义模糊的政客话术，这让我想到川普的推特与演讲风格。按下他的政治表现不表，他的推特基本可以算是"you are what you speak"。昨天Eric的Day 1赏析当中提到了Tough competition这种短促有力的独立成句写法，这恰恰是川普擅长的，当然这可能跟川普“小学二年级水平词汇量”（有个Youtube视频分析哈哈）以及推特的发送字数限制相关。
好的写作者能让你沉迷，作者的I-ness也在本书中暴露无遗。批判完clutter，他就开始花费一页纸的篇幅教授避免此类陷阱的方法论：括号省略法。虽然我第一次听说，但是已经蠢蠢欲动想要拿personal statement进行试验了。
作者除了教我们怎么写作，还在拿本书作为最佳的范例示范给我们看。“开头要吸引人”，“在文章中暴露自我”，“尽量做到不说废话”，他都做到了。还有一点，幽默，他也诠释得很好。写作本身就很枯燥了，教人写作的书更是如干草，但是作者巧妙地把自己的幽默感搭配进来，让文字富有趣味性。“This is a short book, and my name is not Sigmund Freud.”这句足以让我笑上几秒。
希望我们都能练就mental brackets. Nobody becomes Tom Wolfe overnight, not even Tom Wolfe.