Download Style: Reducing Wordiness

Style: Reducing Wordiness What is a wordy sentence? Try removing words from each sentence. If you can remove a word while keeping the meaning of the sentence, the sentence is wordy. Good writing is simple and direct; it uses the simplest word possible that conveys the same meaning. Keep a word if it is necessary to the grammar of the sentence or it is a key idea, fact, feeling, or description. How to avoid wordy sentences? •
Eliminate redundancy. redundant rehabilitated each separate incident each incident many different ways many ways dash quickly dash as to whether tall skyscraper blue in colour free gift advance notice he is a man who is appear to be completely finished the reason . . . is because whether tall blue gift notice he is appear finished because Redundant: John was employed by and now works for the company Levi‐Strauss. Revised: John now works for Levi‐Strauss. (ʺNow works forʺ implies that he was hired; we know that Levi‐Strauss is a company, so there is no need to restate this). Redundant: Helen is a bright and intelligent woman. Revised: Helen is intelligent. (ʺBrightʺ and ʺintelligentʺ have the same meaning; we know that Helen is a woman). •
Delete empty words and phrases generally apparently basically essentially tend to in my opinion I think that I feel virtually I believe really very various in some ways for all intents and purposes As appropriate, substitute a more concise word for the inflated phrase in the sentence. Empty phrase: It is my opinion that abortion should be outlawed. Revised: Abortion should be outlawed. Inflated phrase: In the event that there is an earthquake, you should hide underneath your desk until the shaking stops. Revised: If there is an earthquake, you should hide underneath your desk until the shaking stops. •
Eliminate any unnecessary repetition of words Repetitious: Our student is a physically ill student today. Revised: Our student is physically ill today. •
Reduce clauses to phrases and phrases to single words outlaw at this point in time rehabilitated at this time/now in the neighbourhood of had an effect upon due to the fact that in order to for the purpose of it is important that until such time as at the same time as with the possible exception of of about influenced because to for must until while except Wordy: We visited Washington D.C., which is the capital of the United States. Concise: We visited Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. (Adjective clause has been reduced to an appositive phrase.) Wordy: John’s stylish boots, made of crocodile skin, cost him an arm and a leg. Concise: John’s stylish crocodile skin boots cost him an arm and a leg. (Participle phrase has been reduced to two words) •
Use active verbs Wordy: Not listening to my father’s pleas to attend class, I was rebellious. Concise: Not listening to my father’s pleas to attend class, I rebelled. Eliminate the ʺbeʺ verb in this sentence to more descriptively state the action of the subject. •
Delete the following phrases and variations: there is . . . that it is . . . that •
Substitute verbs with prepositions with verbs not needing prepositions. Never write “find out” when you can write “discover.”