Among the rules given above, it has been said (rule
5) that figurative language should be changed into a simple and direct
expression.
Here is an example:
“I have grown to feel that the ambition which we
preach and the success for which we prepare are very often nothing but a
missing of the simple road, a troubled wandering among thorny bypaths and dark
mountains”.
Here the second part
of the sentence is written in a figurative style. That is, “road”, thorny
bypaths” and “dark mountains” are not used in their literal sense. So while
shortening it we have to use simple
words in place of the figurative language. We may write as follows:
I feel that the ambition and the success which we
aim at often take us away from the right path and involve us in difficulties.
But we must not forget rule 10 also. We must not use the
first person pronoun. The correct way of writing, therefore, would be:
The author’s feelings are that the ambition and the
success which people aim at often taken them away from the right path and
involve them in difficulties.
Here is another example of the use of figurative
language:
And then Jinnah came. He was like a powerful current of
fresh air that made us stretch ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam of
light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our eyes, like a whirlwind
that upset many things but most of all the working of people’s minds.
In this passage the word “fresh air” “stretch ourselves’ and “take deep breaths”, a beam of light.., darkness”,
“scales”, “like a whirlwind” are all used in a figurative sense.
We can simplify and condense this passage in the following
manner: And then Jinnah came He was a powerful enlightening influence. He
changed people’s thinking and made them progressive.
Here the idea of the whirlwind many things has been
conveyed by the use of the expression “powerful influence”. The word
“enlightening” conveys the idea of “a beam of light that pierced the darkness
and removed the scales from our eyes”.