From an article about couples counseling:
"Tears are a frequent occurrence."
This is one of the vaguest sentences I've seen in a while. It doesn't state who is crying. Why not just say, "She cried a lot"? Unless you're writing a murder mystery and want to conceal someone's identity, please state who is doing what. Your readers will thank you.
Ask Me a Question
If you have a writing, grammar, style or punctuation question, send an e-mail message to curiouscase at sign hotmail dot com.
Add Your Own Criminal Sentence!
If you find a particularly terrible sentence somewhere, post it for all to see (go here and put it in the Comments section).
Monday, July 14, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"Tears are a frequent occurrence."
This sentence is not really vague, merely abstract, and probably quite clear in context. It could be a rhetorical variation for "The couples cry frequently." Granted, weak writing can overdo this. But again, without context, your complaint holds no water.
You have a valid point. I should have included more of the original article.
Incomplete posts will not be a frequent occurrence.
Post a Comment