Do I Make Myself Clear? audiobook cover - Why Writing Well Matters

Do I Make Myself Clear?

Why Writing Well Matters

Harold Evans

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Communication Skills

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Do I Make Myself Clear?
The State of Modern Writing+
Sentence Mechanics+
Enemies of Clarity+
Language and Society+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to the book, what is a major reason why we endure more inscrutable prose today than in the past?
  • A. The digital era lacks the strict word limits that once forced writers to be concise.
  • B. Modern readers have shorter attention spans and prefer complex vocabulary.
  • C. Academic institutions no longer teach traditional grammar and syntax.
  • D. Readability indexes have been proven to be completely ineffective.
Question 2 of 8
Why does the author caution against relying too heavily on readability formulas like the Flesch Reading Ease Index?
  • A. They heavily penalize the use of the passive voice, making writing sound unnatural.
  • B. They are overly complex and require advanced mathematical skills to calculate.
  • C. You could write pure nonsense and still score well if you use basic vocabulary and short sentences.
  • D. They only analyze digital text and cannot be applied to print journalism.
Question 3 of 8
While the passive voice should generally be avoided, when is it actually useful to employ it?
  • A. When you want to add urgency and a sense of command to a business memo.
  • B. When you want to highlight the receiver of an action rather than the doer.
  • C. When you need to front-load a sentence with a list of important conditions.
  • D. When you are trying to increase the word count of an academic paper.
Question 4 of 8
What are 'parasitical prepositions'?
  • A. Prepositions that connect two completely unrelated clauses in a sentence.
  • B. Words that replace active verbs, draining the energy and rhythm from a paragraph.
  • C. Useless words like 'up' and 'out' that appear after perfectly functional words and add nothing of value.
  • D. Abstract nouns that lack concrete definition and confuse the reader's understanding.
Question 5 of 8
How does the book suggest a writer can avoid dry, mechanical language and keep the reader engaged?
  • A. By strictly adhering to the classic subject-verb-predicate sentence structure.
  • B. By removing all negative words and writing exclusively in positive statements.
  • C. By employing abstract nouns to add depth, nuance, and complexity to the prose.
  • D. By varying the form, function, and style of their sentences to create rhythm.
Question 6 of 8
What is a 'zombie noun' (or nominalization)?
  • A. A word that began as a verb but was turned into a sentence-ruining noun, like 'implementation'.
  • B. An unnecessarily wordy phrase that murders a sentence, like 'in the possession of'.
  • C. A stale cliché that refuses to die out in modern political journalism.
  • D. A completely redundant phrase that repeats itself, like 'anonymous stranger'.
Question 7 of 8
According to the text, why do entities like banks and political organizations often intentionally use bad, overly complicated writing?
  • A. They rely too heavily on outdated readability indexes that promote dense prose.
  • B. They lack the editorial oversight and resources found in traditional publishing houses.
  • C. To confuse customers, regulators, and the public so they can push forward their own agendas.
  • D. To sound more authoritative, intellectual, and knowledgeable than their competitors.
Question 8 of 8
What is a 'pleonasm'?
  • A. An abstract noun that fails to provide clarity, such as 'facilities'.
  • B. A completely redundant phrase, such as 'collaborate together' or 'new beginning'.
  • C. A sentence that forces the reader to track dozens of words before stating the main point.
  • D. A wordy way of saying something simple, such as 'concerning the matter of'.

Do I Make Myself Clear? — Full Chapter Overview

Do I Make Myself Clear? Summary & Overview

Do I Make Myself Clear? (2017) offers a much-needed look at why clear and concise messages are, now more than ever, so important. There is an overwhelming abundance of content these days, and yet finding the truth has never been more difficult. Politicians and marketing executives use deliberately misleading words that obscure the truth and leave us confused and distrustful. Other times, bad writing simply leaves us scratching our heads. If we hope to better understand the facts, we need more people who can deliver clear and meaningful writing.

Who Should Listen to Do I Make Myself Clear??

  • Aspiring writers
  • Students hoping to craft better papers
  • Readers tired of bad writing

About the Author: Harold Evans

Harold Evans is one of the most respected editors working today. Over the course of his illustrious career, he spent 14 years working for the Sunday Times and seven years as president and publisher at Random House, US. In 2004, he was awarded a knighthood in recognition of his outstanding work as a newspaper editor.

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