A Classy Gent knows that a beautifully penned letter is much more treasured by the author and the addressee than any digital medium can emote. However, the Art of Writing is fading from our children, and even from those who should know better, as the internet reduces prose to a series of homophonic letters: “Y R U L8?”

It goes without saying that full sentences are the order of the day when penning a good letter. Consider the two examples below, thanking your host for a lovely dinner party:

Had a great time last night. Lovely food. Thanks. 

Dear Amanda,

I want to thank you again for the exceptional entertainment that you provided at last night’s dinner. The food was, as usual, outstanding and I was particularly fond of your chilli roasted asparagus. I do hope that I can return the favour in the near future and will send the invitation out as soon as a date has been settled.

Yours, as always,

A. C. Gent.

The first example sent by text message is appreciated. The latter, hand-written on a generously high-weighted paper, elicits a response that would encourage your host to actually want to thank you in return.

There is nothing special about writing in full sentences, it is something that we are all taught as children growing up. Bad habit and lack of practice makes many of us start writing in shorter hand. Writing though, like any skill, improves with practice. So I encourage you all get out your pen at least once a day and write at least a single paragraph; the content is unimportant but the mere act of writing stimulates the brain to be more creative and soon the sentences will flow easier.

Neither is it important to fill your prose with lengthy and “clever” words. However, one must always use the correct word. Notice the use of “correct” and not “right”, which is frequently substituted in speech. Writing, by its nature, is a more formal method of communication and one should always aim to preserve the correct grammar when writing even though it “sounds” correct in your head. There are certain rules that govern writing (and indeed some may want to brush up a grammatical rules too), though you cannot be expected to remember them all. That is why a Classy Gent, when struggling over form, will reach for his Style Guide.

Style Guides were originally published by newspapers, so that their reporters maintained a consistent writing style throughout the paper. Often style guides will conflict with each other depending on the intended audience of the newspaper. This can be seen most vividly by comparing the BBC’s online news website, it’s physical publications and its Teletext service. A cursory cross-reference of what is essentially the same story told through each of these media will highlight the written style as it changes depending on the format and audience. The two most heavily cited modern Style Guides though, are those published by The Times and The Guardian (a smaller version of The Guardian’s Guide can be found online here). However, as already stated these Guides are intended for newspaper writing and can hardly be appropriate for all situations. So when this Gent needs a reference, he reaches for Bill Bryson’s Troublesome Words. This reference book is a fascinating read in its own right and so even if you do not follow my advice and begin writing daily, I still encourage you to order this book and give it a good thumbing. I have lived in 9 houses in the last 7 years and this is one of only two books that has accompanied me to all of these locations (the other being Richard Mattheson’s I am Legend).

I leave you today with some words of warning from William Strunk Jr.:

“Do not overwrite. Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating.”