How to improve writing (no. 120)

One way to avoid glaring mistakes: be clear on which word is the subject in a sentence. From a Washington Post article (gift link) about NBC’s ill-considered decision to hire Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst:

And despite [Chuck] Todd’s pushback, there appears to be no plans to change course with this hire.

There is not the subject of that sentence (though as a word being named, it’s the subject of this sentence). The subject is plans. Revised:

And despite [Chuck] Todd’s pushback, there appear to be no plans to change course with this hire.

Better still would be for NBC to rescind this hiring.

Related reading
All OCA How to improve writing posts (Pinboard)

[This post is no. 120 in a series dedicated to improving stray bits of public prose.]