All the above, EXCEPT in law, where BS reigns supreme.
I'm getting better at getting rid of, for example, the many thats I catch myself using. The "[y]ou know THAT John likes steak and crab" kind of that usage. The word that adds nothing.
I notice otherwise good writers still use the word that where it is wholly unnecessary.
My word processor allows me to search out specific words. In a long document (e.g., 80 pages), I can shorten the document a half page or more just by cleaning up Valley Girl type additions to my writing. The word that is like, a kid beating the word like, to death.
In the end, if I can remove the word in question and the sentence still says what I intended, I don't need it.
According to rscheearch at Cmabridge uinervertisy, it deosn't mttaer waht oreder the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihing is taht the first and last letteres are at the rghit pclace. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef byt eh wrod as a wlohe,
Dr. Yoho is one of the best writers out there on Substack that I have found to date. Not only are his posts informative, educational and often mind boggling, but they are a joy to read.
I work with lawyers, authors, real estate developers and others who need the skills of a wordsmith, so I am on the computer all day editing, proofreading, researching and writing. I completely agree with Dr. Yoho about the necessity of learning how to write. Even more important is learning to read using phonics as soon as possible, even before kindergarten.
One of the reasons why our children and grandchildren are such bad writers is that they were abusively taught "whole word" reading wherein they were expected to memorize thousands of words rather than learning how to sound out the letters phonetically. This is one of the greatest tragedies mankind has experienced and I am glad to see that the schools are being mandated in many cases to go back to phonics.
Many thanks for this short essay and all the other wisdom that Dr. Yoho shares with his audience of loyal readers!
PS- I too am a fan of Stephen King's book "On writing".
I appreciate your suggestions, however, perhaps if you write intelligently, instead of lowering your vocabulary to the readers level, the reader will want to understand the terminology and look it up, like I do, when I don’t fully understand the meaning of a word. Just a thought
Great article. You’re very generous. But there’s a problem with Substack- they’re wanting age verification in some countries. Writers are removing themselves from the platform because of it and readers are, quite understandably, refusing to give age verification. Such a shame, but to give age verification is to put another nail in our coffin.
As always, Dr. Yoho has the best voice on Substack. Matt Taibbi should hire him instead of using the awful AI tool. For me, writing is essential to understanding what I know about a topic. Initial drafts shine a spotlight on dark corners that I can then choose to delete or take the time to flesh out. I also pay for Grammarly as well, even though I find it obsessed with commas and hyphens.
Thank you Dr. Yoho, this article is excellent. More physicians should learn to write. As Jordan Peterson says, "we write so that are idiot thoughts can die before we do."
I started writing when I was 12. When I was frustrated with my drunken parents, I would write about it in my room. Now my kids are writers, shining reviews and grades from their college professors.
Thank you Dr. Yoho. I am considering starting a Substack account. After listening to your sobering message, I will get started sooner rather than later.
Sounds like only perfect writing is sufficient. Nothing less will do. Time to call in the A/i boys who never get it wrong. The problem then becomes in that it can lie as well any as any human. But do it in a perfect manner. Splendid.
Robert Yoho, I love you. I get stabbed so many times daily by the sword of horribly used language, not only in English (my second language) but also in Afrikaans, my mother tongue. Writing or speaking, most people seemed to be half-literate. Once you’ve been a newspaper sub-editor mentored by the greats in the good old days, you cannot read anything in peace and quiet - your system is constantly shocked and outraged by all the word-vomiting. Even the best researched articles on Substack are marred by so many sloppy mistakes, a clear indication the writers do not bother to read through and clean up their writing. One example is A Midwestern Doctor. Every mistake undermines the credibility of the content. I am not the best writer in English, which I still struggle with, having learned it late in life, but I have the discipline never to post anything I haven’t read through several times. Thanks Robert, jy is ‘n man so na my hart! And I like your sense of humour. 💕
All the above, EXCEPT in law, where BS reigns supreme.
I'm getting better at getting rid of, for example, the many thats I catch myself using. The "[y]ou know THAT John likes steak and crab" kind of that usage. The word that adds nothing.
I notice otherwise good writers still use the word that where it is wholly unnecessary.
My word processor allows me to search out specific words. In a long document (e.g., 80 pages), I can shorten the document a half page or more just by cleaning up Valley Girl type additions to my writing. The word that is like, a kid beating the word like, to death.
In the end, if I can remove the word in question and the sentence still says what I intended, I don't need it.
Damn, it's a bear growing up at 75.
yes I am 72
According to rscheearch at Cmabridge uinervertisy, it deosn't mttaer waht oreder the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihing is taht the first and last letteres are at the rghit pclace. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef byt eh wrod as a wlohe,
point made: GIGO
Great information. You've presented an college course in writing! I hope readers take advantage of it. I love and use Grammarly.
I just saw it. . . "an college course"? Oh, my! Grammarly would have caught it if I had used it!
Dr. Yoho is one of the best writers out there on Substack that I have found to date. Not only are his posts informative, educational and often mind boggling, but they are a joy to read.
I work with lawyers, authors, real estate developers and others who need the skills of a wordsmith, so I am on the computer all day editing, proofreading, researching and writing. I completely agree with Dr. Yoho about the necessity of learning how to write. Even more important is learning to read using phonics as soon as possible, even before kindergarten.
One of the reasons why our children and grandchildren are such bad writers is that they were abusively taught "whole word" reading wherein they were expected to memorize thousands of words rather than learning how to sound out the letters phonetically. This is one of the greatest tragedies mankind has experienced and I am glad to see that the schools are being mandated in many cases to go back to phonics.
Many thanks for this short essay and all the other wisdom that Dr. Yoho shares with his audience of loyal readers!
PS- I too am a fan of Stephen King's book "On writing".
https://robertyoho.substack.com/p/278-fun-with-dick-and-jane?utm_source=publication-search
Thank you for this. I will save this, re-read this, and (hopefully) follow this excellent advice.
I appreciate your suggestions, however, perhaps if you write intelligently, instead of lowering your vocabulary to the readers level, the reader will want to understand the terminology and look it up, like I do, when I don’t fully understand the meaning of a word. Just a thought
Great article. You’re very generous. But there’s a problem with Substack- they’re wanting age verification in some countries. Writers are removing themselves from the platform because of it and readers are, quite understandably, refusing to give age verification. Such a shame, but to give age verification is to put another nail in our coffin.
my mirror site is dryoho.com
As always, Dr. Yoho has the best voice on Substack. Matt Taibbi should hire him instead of using the awful AI tool. For me, writing is essential to understanding what I know about a topic. Initial drafts shine a spotlight on dark corners that I can then choose to delete or take the time to flesh out. I also pay for Grammarly as well, even though I find it obsessed with commas and hyphens.
This is lovely. Wish I had read something like this about _______years ago.
Enjoyed your post and wanted to read your 2022 version. Unfortunately, when I clicked on the link in this article, I got a "File Not Found" error.
Rick
I'll relink it sorry
When I was in high school, and University, they taught us this.
Nowadays, not so much.
Thankyou for a great post.
Thank you Dr. Yoho, this article is excellent. More physicians should learn to write. As Jordan Peterson says, "we write so that are idiot thoughts can die before we do."
I started writing when I was 12. When I was frustrated with my drunken parents, I would write about it in my room. Now my kids are writers, shining reviews and grades from their college professors.
Thank you Dr. Yoho. I am considering starting a Substack account. After listening to your sobering message, I will get started sooner rather than later.
join the revolution
Sounds like only perfect writing is sufficient. Nothing less will do. Time to call in the A/i boys who never get it wrong. The problem then becomes in that it can lie as well any as any human. But do it in a perfect manner. Splendid.
if you want flaws, use AI
Robert Yoho, I love you. I get stabbed so many times daily by the sword of horribly used language, not only in English (my second language) but also in Afrikaans, my mother tongue. Writing or speaking, most people seemed to be half-literate. Once you’ve been a newspaper sub-editor mentored by the greats in the good old days, you cannot read anything in peace and quiet - your system is constantly shocked and outraged by all the word-vomiting. Even the best researched articles on Substack are marred by so many sloppy mistakes, a clear indication the writers do not bother to read through and clean up their writing. One example is A Midwestern Doctor. Every mistake undermines the credibility of the content. I am not the best writer in English, which I still struggle with, having learned it late in life, but I have the discipline never to post anything I haven’t read through several times. Thanks Robert, jy is ‘n man so na my hart! And I like your sense of humour. 💕
agree w all
I find myself editing my speech