See show, don't tell in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for show, don't tell meaning in English (2.7kB)
{
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "proverb",
"head": ""
},
"expansion": "show, don't tell",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "show, don't tell",
"name": "en-proverb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "proverb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English proverbs",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1999, Kendall Haven, Write Right!: Creative Writing Using Storytelling Techniques, Bloomsbury, page 186",
"text": "The second flaw is a flagrant violation of “show, don't tell.” Don't tell readers that she's sad and he's mad. Show the reader what they do. Worst of all, don't do both!",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015 October 21, Dana Barbuto, “Review: Aaron Sorkin makes ‘Steve Jobs’ work”, in Northwest Herald",
"text": "In “Steve Jobs,” Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin “Sorkins” the hell out of an unconventional adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography by daring to break the cardinal rule of show don’t tell.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Advice to writers: convey an impression by the way that events are described in the narrative, and not by explicitly stating facts."
],
"id": "en-show,_don't_tell-en-proverb-pGthwsXn",
"links": [
[
"writer",
"writer"
],
[
"convey",
"convey"
],
[
"impression",
"impression"
],
[
"event",
"event"
],
[
"describe",
"describe"
],
[
"narrative",
"narrative"
],
[
"explicit",
"explicit"
],
[
"stating",
"state"
],
[
"fact",
"fact"
]
],
"related": [
{
"word": "show and tell"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "show don't tell"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "لا تفصح، بل أبد"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "toon, in plaats van te vertellen"
},
{
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "montru, ne rakontu"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "montre, ne dis pas"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "mostrar, non contar"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "zeigen, nicht erzählen"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "mostra, non raccontare"
},
{
"code": "fa",
"lang": "Persian",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "نشان دهید، نگویید"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pokazyvaj, a ne rasskazyvaj",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "показывай, а не рассказывай"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "mostrar, no contar"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ʃəʊ dəʊnt tɛl/"
}
],
"word": "show, don't tell"
}
{
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "proverb",
"head": ""
},
"expansion": "show, don't tell",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "show, don't tell",
"name": "en-proverb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "proverb",
"related": [
{
"word": "show and tell"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English proverbs",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1999, Kendall Haven, Write Right!: Creative Writing Using Storytelling Techniques, Bloomsbury, page 186",
"text": "The second flaw is a flagrant violation of “show, don't tell.” Don't tell readers that she's sad and he's mad. Show the reader what they do. Worst of all, don't do both!",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015 October 21, Dana Barbuto, “Review: Aaron Sorkin makes ‘Steve Jobs’ work”, in Northwest Herald",
"text": "In “Steve Jobs,” Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin “Sorkins” the hell out of an unconventional adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography by daring to break the cardinal rule of show don’t tell.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Advice to writers: convey an impression by the way that events are described in the narrative, and not by explicitly stating facts."
],
"links": [
[
"writer",
"writer"
],
[
"convey",
"convey"
],
[
"impression",
"impression"
],
[
"event",
"event"
],
[
"describe",
"describe"
],
[
"narrative",
"narrative"
],
[
"explicit",
"explicit"
],
[
"stating",
"state"
],
[
"fact",
"fact"
]
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ʃəʊ dəʊnt tɛl/"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "show don't tell"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "لا تفصح، بل أبد"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "toon, in plaats van te vertellen"
},
{
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "montru, ne rakontu"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "montre, ne dis pas"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "mostrar, non contar"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "zeigen, nicht erzählen"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "mostra, non raccontare"
},
{
"code": "fa",
"lang": "Persian",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "نشان دهید، نگویید"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pokazyvaj, a ne rasskazyvaj",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "показывай, а не рассказывай"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "Advice",
"word": "mostrar, no contar"
}
],
"word": "show, don't tell"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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