Taking a seasonal break, in the meantime here's one from the vault first posted in October 2012. See you in the New Year.
The idea that the more words used
the clearer the meaning becomes is one that trips up a lot of writers.
Not that additional details are
always a bad thing, but the ‘a little more information couldn’t hurt’ approach
is very definitely wrong. It can very much hurt.
If I want to visit you then there
is a minimum amount of info (street and house number), and an optimum amount (best
route, which exit to take) that I need. And then there’s an excessive amount (the name of
your neighbour’s dog).
On the other hand, what
difference does it make if you mention the neighbour’s dog? It’s not going to
make the address harder to find.
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