Some Writing Advice

One of my cardinal rules in writing is to be clear. Among many other things, this means to be careful about the order you list things. Look at the second sentence in this passage:

After all, it would be foolhardy and probably dangerous to make repairs to your car while driving it. That’s why you stop the motor and take it to a mechanic.

https://aeon.co/essays/a-quantitative-theory-unlocks-the-mysteries-of-why-we-sleep

How would you get it to the mechanic after you stop the motor? How about writing “take it to a mechanic and stop the motor”? Or maybe “…stop the motor after you take it to the mechanic.”

The quote in the essay is perfectly grammatical, but putting the items in order removes a touch of ambiguity. You don’t have to count on the reader figuring out what you meant.

(You know the joke about the heart surgeon telling the mechanic that he repairs his engines while they are still going, right?)