Crumbling Sentences: Isolated and Expletive Pronouns Weaken the Foundation of Clear Medical Writing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55752/amwa.2024.379Abstract
The subject is the most foundational element of a sentence. When the subject is clear and concrete, the sentence starts strong, and readers can easily maintain their forward momentum in the story. When the subject is unclear, the sentence crumbles, and readers must backtrack in the text or carry a cognitive load as they continue reading. In medical writing, unclear subjects often appear as ambiguous pronouns in the form of isolated pronouns and expletive pronouns. These constructions create more work for readers by using an unclear referent or no referent at all. Fortunately, these 2 constructions can be refined to use clear, concrete nouns that help readers quickly and easily locate the subject of a sentence and continue forward in the story.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright Notice
Authors of manuscripts accepted for publication retain copyright in their work but are required to grant to AMWA exclusive worldwide first publication rights and further grant a nonexclusive license for other uses of the manuscript for the duration of their copyright as outlined in the Agreement on Authors' Rights and Responsibilities. In the same agreement, authors are required to confirm that the material submitted for publication, both in its paper and electronic versions, including reproductions of other works (eg, photographs, maps, etc.) does not infringe upon any existing copyright.
Any reproduction within two years following the date of publication requires the permission of the Editor-in-Chief of the AMWA Journal.
Contact managingeditor@amwa.org for all requests for reuse.
