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Prose With and Without Disclaimers // Practice

With

In order to write well, an author must consider the context in which they are writing. Good writing usually involves removing grammatical mistakes, such as run-on sentences, although they can be used deliberately to achieve specific effects. Readers may also expect different styles of writing for different formats (e.g. an essay as opposed to a journal article); although I do not believe that an author should completely lose or adapt their personal style just to comply with a writing format, it is normally good practice to meet reader expectations. This allows readers to focus more on the content instead of the style of the writing, provided that the reader is sufficiently engaged with the content to make it through the writing in the first place — for instance, if a reader does not like technical papers, they may actually be less likely to read prose that resembles one, than if the author had simply used their own style. Authors that attempt to convey logically difficult or precise arguments often try to make it clear, in-line, what they do and do not mean. While this style of argument can closely resemble the actual train of premises and arguments used, and their negations, it can also be difficult to read in certain circumstances.

Without

Now consider prose without disclaimers. It is clear and authoritative. Key points are given space to breathe, freed from well-meaning but unnecessary clutter. The writer trusts the reader to read the material critically and with empathy. In return, the reader devotes more time to the prose — the punctuation and brevity invites them to understand each point fully before moving on. To read sharp prose is to feel alive. We do not realise the constant strain of the Common Style until this weight is lifted off our chest; we behold language as it is meant to be used, and feel we could write this way ourselves. Disclaimers are included only if they are crucial to understanding, usually in a separate sentence or paragraph.