Notes from the chapter:
cut out: emphasizing words, repetitive stuff, unnecessary detail, short paragraphs (helps skimming), use words we know, get rid of exaggerations, be direct, 2-3 levels of headings, (basically don't do what Allbutt did)
Allbutt's Composition Notes
Introduction
Although I want to amuse you all with grandiose prose, I won't. Take this advice instead; the message will decline if your words are too showy. Even in Virgil or Tennyson, their appealing form excites us. If we focus on a the main thought as we read, the writing appears good. If we focus on the phrases used to represent the main fact, the writing is redundant.Word Choice/ Science vs. Literature
Read Bright's well-known appeal "The Angel of Death is abroad through the land; we may almost hear the beating of his wings." Did you think of the words in that sentence? What if he used "flapping of his wings" instead of beating? Would it make a difference? Literature is not merely the art of expression but also the creation of thought and emotion. Scientific prose is rarely literature. It is a language of correct thinking and therefore gets recognized and then forgotten. Scientific prose still needs to be written with a level of appeal, because bad prose is bad business.Sounds of the Text
Trust the ear; rougher rhythms and inharmonious sounds will drag. If you struggle reading it, revise it.Allbutt's Examples:
- "A more accommodating denomination is commonly given to it"
- "Gratitude for his rectitude"
- "an organisational centre of crystalisation"
- "so that it at once commenced"
- "the native rulers were as a rule"
