Honorary president: Judith Butcher Honorary vice-president: David Crystal OBE

Structure: Introducing ideas in sequence

Nature of edit Light copy-edit for sense and style

Type of copy Medical journal paper

Before

'Anthropological and biological studies tell us that human sexual behavior, has different meanings and that - although reproduction is obviously important - at least quantitatively sexual activity focusses on maintaining strong bonds within monogamous relationships.'

After

'Anthropological and biological studies tell us that human sexual behaviour has different meanings and that - although reproduction is obviously important - human sexual activity focuses on maintaining a strong bond within a monogamous relationship, at least quantitatively.'

Problem and solution

The original sentence gave two qualifying statements before its conclusion. The sentence's meaning is easier to understand with the introduction of ideas in sequence. The author was also asked to clarify what is being referred to in the phrase 'at least quantitatively'.