Kibbitzer 14

Premature Evaluation

This Kibbitzer is based on an extract from an article for publication by a Chinese-speaking postgraduate student of Social Science

OriginalRevision
  It is clear that the probability of caring for frail elderly parents by young British-born Chinese may be uncertain. In a crucial sense, it is incorrect to assume that informal networks of support will always satisfy the needs of the elderly. The false assumption of a commitment to caring among Chinese families should be re-examined It appears from this research that the prospects of care for frail elderly parents by young British-born Chinese are uncertain. and that informal networks of support may not in future satisfy the needs of the elderly. In short, the assumption of a continuing commitment to caring among Chinese families should be re-examined.

The original text shows three instances (marked in bold) of what the consultant considered to be premature evaluations: the suggested revisions show his attempts to avoid this very common problem. The main points to notice are:

  1. The evaluation of certainty in the first sentence It is clear that ... sits uncomfortably with the 'hedging' of may in may be uncertain in the conclusion of the same sentence. The suggested solution embeds both the first and second sentence in a 'hedging' matrix It appears from this research that ...

  2. For obvious reasons, I discourage my clients from referring to incorrect assumptions, conclusions etc.

  3. The most striking example of premature evaluation occurs in the third sentence of the original: if we already know that an assumption is false, we hardly need to re-examine it!

12th November 1996 Consultant: Tim Johns
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