Abstract
MANNER of speaking or writing is often an indication of a person's mental make-up, and, as a modern writer has asserted, faults of style may reflect faults of character. At any rate in the world of to-day, ability to express oneself well in speech and script is a most useful quality ; and it is a quality that can be taught to, and learnt by, most people, if they take the necessary pains. The trouble with most poor writers is that they are lazy: they lack the 'passion to excel' of the artist and the craftsman. The technical writer, in particular, is often so keen to communicate his knowledge, to 'get there', that he does not worry about style or method of presentation, and therefore is put down as an unlettered man ; whereas by taking thought and a little trouble, he could greatly improve his style and 'put it over' far more satisfactorily.
The Reader Over Your Shoulder
A Handbook for writers of English Prose. By Robert Graves and Alan Hodge. Pp. 446. (London: Jonathan Cape, Ltd., 1943.) 18s. net.
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TRIPP, E. The Reader Over Your Shoulder. Nature 152, 645–647 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1038/152645a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/152645a0
