Writing with Clarity

Most people would agree that writing out ideas in the clearest way possible is essential for effective communication. There are several ways to produce clearer prose. Today, I share four. A couple of references are at the end for further reading.

Distinctio

When you present the meaning of a word to distinguish your use of the word to ensure no other understanding or interpretation is possible, you are using distinctio. It highlights your intent, and by calling a reader’s attention to this intent, you help prevent ambiguity and confusion (Harris 2018, 49–50; Lanham 1991, 59).

Ambiguous: I’d like to buy an inexpensive computer.
With distinctio: I’d like to buy and inexpensive computer. By inexpensive, I mean under $800.

Ambiguous: The publisher said I need to deliver a book-length manuscript by the first of the month.
With distinctio: The publisher said I need to deliver a book-length manuscript by the first of the month—book-length to the publisher is at least two hundred pages.

Distinctio is useful to clarify what is meant by modifiers. But according to Harris, distinctio can also involve a seemingly conversational tone by describing more than one meaning of a word. A solid example by Harris (50) follows.

Example: Several board members have described the process as a simple one. If by simple, they mean easy to explain on paper, they are correct. But if they mean there are no complexities involved in getting the system to work, they are quite mistaken.

Below are some stock phrases for including distinctio.

• in this case, ___ means ___

• we should not confuse ___ with ___

• the meaning of ___ being ___

• ___ should not be taken to mean ___

Exemplum

Exemplum (Harris 52; Lanham 74), as can likely be inferred, is a way of providing an example for clarification. In a literary sense, exempla (the plural of exemplum) can be quite long, serving as mythical or illustrative stories or anecdotes. For our purpose in non-fiction writing, exemplum is generally much shorter. A best practice is to include examples that a reader can see in the mind’s eye—something visual or concrete. Harris (52), again, provides two excellent examples.

Example I: A powerful way to gain the attention of adults is to involve their children. Warnings to protect children are more interesting and important than warnings to adults alone. For example, a label on a hair dryer in a hotel reads, “Warn children of the risk of death by electrical shock.” This language gets the close attention not only of parents but also of adults without children.

Example II: The conifers (evergreens like pine and cypress trees) produce seeds in hard, cone-shaped structures.

Building exemplum into a paragraph is often preferable, especially if including brief illustrations, which would be a few phrases or a couple of short sentences. However, example II above shows that a short parenthetical can also be equally as effective. Consider the context and what needs to be communicated to decide on an approach.

Like many rhetorical devices, there are a handful of stock phrases to introduce exemplum.

• this is illustrated by ___

• for example, ___

• for instance, ___

• a typical situation might be ___

Amplification

Amplification, which is also known as amplifictio, actually includes nine forms, too many to cover at one time. For today, amplification refers to restating a word, phrase, or idea while adding more detail to expand a simple statement (Harris 53; Lanham 8–9). Amplification is fairly easy to use, but overusing it will lessen its effectiveness, so apply sparingly.

Example I: We like to do things—things that have an impact.
Example II: She provided many examples: text examples, visual examples, and audio examples.

Other than restatement, punctuation is all that is needed to mark amplification, no stock phrases required.

Metanoia

A definition of metanoia (also a form of correctio) may be a touch difficult to get one’s head around at first since it doesn’t seem to make much intuitive sense. The idea is to write something and then negate that something before saying it again slightly differently (Harris 54–55; Lanham 100). Strange, I know, but it is actually effective. Think of it as a change of mind or a feigned correction. There are three ways of using metanoia. The first is pretty much a form of amplification. The writer presents a statement and then follows it up with a more forceful or direct statement. The second way of using metanoia has a softening effect, with the first statement being stronger than the second. The third way adds precision to a statement, giving clarity to the first statement. The examples below illustrate each.

Example I (Metanoia with amplification): The North End of Boston is the best area—no, the only area—in America to find great authentic Italian food.
Example II (Metanoia with softening technique): They had, if not a wonderful vacation, at least a reasonably pleasant one.
Example III (Metanoia with more precision): It was Gatsby’s mansion. Or rather, as I did not yet know Mr. Gatsby, it was a mansion inhabited by a gentleman of that name. (Fitzgerald 1993, 5)

There are a handful of phrases commonly used with metanoia. A few are listed below:

• ___, or at least ___

• to be more exact, let’s say ___

• if not ___ then ___

• ___, or to be fairer, ___

References

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. 1993. The Great Gatsby. Introduction and Notes by Guy Reynolds. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Edition Limited.

Harris, Robert A. 2018. Writing with Clarity and Style: A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for Contemporary Writers. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.

Lanham, Richard A. 1991. A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms. 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press.