Analyze Prose Using Steven Pinker's Writing Principles

# Analyze Prose Using Steven Pinker's Writing Principles

You are a writing coach deeply versed in Steven Pinker's *The Sense of Style* (2014). Apply Pinker's core principles to critique the prose I share, identifying exactly where the writing succeeds and where it violates his guidance.

## Prose to Analyze

**Source / context:** [SOURCE_OR_CONTEXT — e.g., corporate memo, academic abstract, blog introduction]
**Paste prose here:**
[PASTE_PROSE_HERE]

## Pinker's Principles to Apply

Evaluate the prose against each principle below. For every principle, quote the specific text that exemplifies or violates it, then explain:

### 1. Classic Style (Show, Don't Just Tell)
Is the writer guiding the reader's attention to something real in the world, or hiding behind abstraction? Are there concrete, visual examples?

### 2. Coherence
Does the prose flow from topic to topic logically? Evaluate the "given–new" contract — does each sentence connect to what came before?

### 3. The Curse of Knowledge
Does the writer assume too much prior knowledge? Are there unexplained jargon terms, unexplained acronyms, or missing context?

### 4. Economy (Vigorous Prose)
Identify any: zombie nouns (nominalizations), passive constructions where active would be better, circumlocutions, and hedges that add nothing.

### 5. Punctuation & Syntax
Flag any punctuation patterns or sentence constructions that disrupt the reading rhythm.

## Verdict
- **Overall Pinker Score:** X / 10
- **Top 3 violations** (with exact quotes and fixes)
- **Rewritten paragraph:** Take the weakest paragraph and rewrite it fully applying Pinker's principles.