E-Prime

E-Prime or English Prime is a term coined by Alfred Korzybski for the English language modified by prohibiting the use of the verb "to be" to express identity. E-Prime is motivated by his ideas of General Semantics, and his observation that most uses of "to be" in English express dogmatic beliefs or assumptions, or are used to avoid expressing opinions and feelings as such. Its advocates assert that the use of E-Prime leads to a less dogmatic style of writing that reduces the possibility for misunderstanding and conflict.

See also:

• Grammatical Voice
• Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

External references:

• http://www.generalsemantics.org/Articles/E-Prime_intro.htm
• [Google Directory category: Reformed and Modified English]