

Incomplete and Incorrect Comparisons
Good writing is clear and concise. Incomplete and incorrect comparisons take away from clarity, and should therefore be avoided. Yet many of the authors I work with have a tendency to use incomplete comparisons. For example: Incomplete: This technique will give students a more positive view of homework. More than what? Wrong: A chicken egg is smaller than an emu. Complete: Upon learning this technique, students will have a more positive outlook of homework than they had prior to learning it. Correct but a bit wordy: An egg of a chicken is smaller than an egg of an emu. Clear and concise: An egg of a chicken is smaller than that of an emu. Ditto. Clear and concise: An egg of a chicken is smaller than an emu’s.
