Unit 4: Clarity Filter

Errors in clarity affect the reader's understanding of the meaning. The meaning may be lost completely, or the reader may not be able to understand exactly what you mean. Errors of clarity are due to vague or ambiguous language usage.

When checking your draft using the clarity filter, there are five error types to look out for:

1. Use of vague expressions
2. Lexical ambiguity
3. Referential ambiguity
4. Syntactic ambiguity
5. Garden-path sentences

Introduction to the clarity filter

Corpus example: This is something which is XXX from XXX.

The pronoun something is vague, as it can refer to so many different items. Clarity in written English is determined by the specificity of the terminology selected. Indefinite pronouns such as something, someone, or somewhere limit their reference only to a type (thing, person, place) and are rather obscure.

Items can be visualized on a cline from vague to specific:
thing › animal › mammal › dog › poodle › toy poodle

Click each corpus example to see the suggested revision.

Corpus example: It is really high for XXX.

The adverb really has two possible specific meanings: either "to a high degree" (replaceable by very) or "in truth or fact" (replaceable by actually). In the original context it was not possible to determine the intended meaning — this is lexical ambiguity. Additionally, really is rather informal and fails to meet the genre expectations for formality.

Corpus example: Referring to Smith [10], Jones notes that he...

The third-person pronoun he refers anaphorically to an earlier-mentioned person. However, there are two candidate antecedents (Smith and Jones), which creates confusion. This type of ambiguity also commonly occurs when pronouns such as it and this are used anaphorically.

This ambiguity can be resolved by avoiding the pronoun entirely:

• Jones notes that Smith [10]...
• Smith [10] notes that Jones...

Corpus example: XXX found two AAA and one BBB, which CCC.

The relative clause which CCC may modify only BBB, or it could modify both AAA and BBB. This ambiguity arises from placing a modifier after noun phrases joined by a conjunction. Choose the revision that matches your intended meaning:

• Modifier applies to BBB only
• Modifier applies to both

Example: The journal plans to publish your paper were just a rumour.

On reading this sentence, most readers will assume plans is a verb. On reaching the finite verb were, they must backtrack and re-read, re-categorizing plans as a noun. Garden-path sentences are not only ambiguous, but the initially assumed meaning is not the intended one.

Garden-path sentences are difficult for writers to notice because the writer is primed to focus on the intended meaning. Second readers and proofreaders can, however, easily notice them because they need to backtrack to figure out the meaning. The challenge is not fixing them once found, but initially identifying them.