Writing Tip: Avoid Over-generalizing

Jun 10, 2009 by David Bowman

One of my favorite expressions as a kid was, “Oh, yeah? Prove it.” (I was a precocious child.) Over-generalizing means making a general statement or reaching a conclusion from a very limited number of examples. When you over-generalize, you invite your reader to ask, “Oh, yeah? Prove it.”

If you base an argument, concept, fact, idea, etc. on your over-generalized statement, the reader can discredit everything you have written. The reader only needs one example to prove you wrong.

Here’s the tip that accompanies “avoid over-generalization”: When you make a general statement, make sure it’s true in EVERY case.

Some examples of over-generalizing are:
“As everyone knows . . .”
“She was always smiling.”
“People loved her cooking.”
“This is the most exciting movie.”
“The stores in this town are no good.”
“Text books are boring.”
“People do this when they’re tired.”
“Men are pigs, but women are angels.”
“It figures.”

This is tip #4 from our series Writing Tips for a Year. Read more information and receive a free sample subscription at http://preciseedit.com and http://hostileediting.com.

David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editorial service provider for authors, businesses, and students. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Did you like this? Don’t miss out! There’s plenty more right here from David.