KuaiLe
Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2006
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
I'm reading On Writing Well by William Zinsser. When he talks about cluttered language, he takes the way a doctor talks for example and says:
'Your dentist will ask if you are experiencing any pain. If he had his own kid in the chair he would say, “Does it hurt?” He would, in short, be himself. By using a more pompous phrase in his professional role he not only sounds more important; he blunts the painful edge of truth.'
Does "blunt the painful edge of truth" mean that "the truth becomes less painful", i.e. your toothache becomes less painful? If not, what does this mean? I don't understand how the dentist can make the truth less painful by talking in this way and what the truth refers to. Can anybody explain the idea for me?
'Your dentist will ask if you are experiencing any pain. If he had his own kid in the chair he would say, “Does it hurt?” He would, in short, be himself. By using a more pompous phrase in his professional role he not only sounds more important; he blunts the painful edge of truth.'
Does "blunt the painful edge of truth" mean that "the truth becomes less painful", i.e. your toothache becomes less painful? If not, what does this mean? I don't understand how the dentist can make the truth less painful by talking in this way and what the truth refers to. Can anybody explain the idea for me?
