Re: Editorial Language


Michael Nitabach wrote:
This sentence is from an editorial in a British scientific journal:

"It is all too easy for the public to underestimate how little
understanding and control humans have over biology[.]"

From the context, it is clear that what is meant is that the public
thinks humans have more control over biology than they do. The
"underestimate how little" usage caused me to stumble and fall when
first reading the sentence.

It's a sentence that almost invites confusion. It would have been a lot
clearer if they'd written "It is all too easy for the public to
overestimate how much understanding and control humans have over
biology."

However, I still wouldn't like it much even then, because understanding
and control don't seem to form a natural pair. They've tried to get
away with too few words, so, to my mind, better still would've been "It
is all too easy for the public to overestimate how much understanding
humans have of biology, and how little control they have over it."

--
athel
http://bip.cnrs-mrs.fr/bip10/homepage.htm

.

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