Chapter 84 Use general descriptions and specific examples

In order to clearly express the main points of the speech, we can adopt one of the easiest and safest methods, that is, to use general instructions and specific examples.What, then, is the difference between general descriptions and specific examples?As the name suggests, the former is general, while the latter is specific. Below we use a specific example to illustrate the difference between the two and the application of the two.Consider this sentence: Some professionals make astonishingly large amounts of income. Is this sentence expressed clearly?Did you get a clear meaning after reading it?Not really, and even the speaker himself isn't sure how exactly you understand the statement.For a country doctor living in the Ozarks might interpret this to mean that a family doctor working in a small city earns five thousand dollars a year; yuan of income.

Therefore, the expression of this sentence is very vague and uncertain, and its precise meaning needs to be further defined: it is necessary to explain in detail which occupations it is and what it means to be "surprisingly large".Let's continue to look at the following part of this sentence: These professionals, such as lawyers, professional boxers, composers, novelists, playwrights, painters, actors, singers, etc., earn much more each year than the president . Now, can we say that this expression is clearer than the original expression?of course.However, this statement is still not detailed enough, it still uses general descriptions and lacks specific examples.For example, it only states "singer" without specifying specific singers, such as Rose Ponsler, Corson Flagstead, Lily Pons, etc.Therefore, the passage remains somewhat vague.So, did the speaker use specific examples?exactly.Let us see, then, how the speaker's intention is clarified with the help of specific examples below:

Barristers Samuel Untermeyer and Max Stewart make a million dollars a year; Jack Dempsey is known to earn over half a million dollars a year; Educated black boxers earned half a million dollars a year in their twenties; Irving Berlin's jazz is said to have earned him half a million dollars a year; Sidney Kingsley, for his performances, $10,000 in a week; Wellstein says his autobiography brought in $3 million; Dio Rivera gets $500,000 a year from his paintings; Katherine Cornell at one point turned down $5,000 per week for advertising. So far, the original intention of the speaker has finally been conveyed vividly, accurately and simply.Therefore, in the speech, it must be specific, definite and clear. This is not only the need for clear expression, but also the need to deepen the impression, enhance the persuasion, or stimulate interest.