n an interesting article about the importance of taking breaks while working from home, we cited research into office life: “Studies have found that more than a third of British workers don’t leave their desk during their lunch hour, something that has proven benefits when it comes to productivity and your mental wellbeing.” This is a common flaw, and I do it so often myself I have given it a name: “Forgetting to Undo the Negative.”
It is hard for the writer to spot, because their train of thought makes sense to them, and they fail to see how a reader might follow it differently. Thanks to Steven Fogel, who pointed out that we appeared to be saying that not taking a break has proven benefits.
The sentence needed to say something like: “A third of British workers don’t leave their desk during their lunch hour, although a break has proven benefits…”
