Wise words for anyone who writes in English

I have been reading George Orwell again and think his advice for writers (in Politics and the English Language) is as valid now as it was when written.

He writes,

"I think the following rules will cover most cases:

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

(ii) Never use a long word where a short word will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything barbarous."

We would all do well to keep to these rules when we write, and anyone translating into English should bear them in mind to avoid sounding wooly or pompous.