Three Simple Techniques to Eliminate Wordiness
Good writing gets to the point quickly and uses concise, well-worded sentences to communicate ideas. By integrating the following three simple strategies into your writing, your prose will be tighter and easier to read.
Strategy 1: Use the true subject and verb at the beginning of a sentence instead of filler phrases such as “it is” “there is” and “there are.” Wordy: There are several important documents that will require your analysis. Revised: Several important documents will require your analysis.
Wordy: It is a company policy that all new hires take a training session. Revised: Company policy requires all new hires to take a training session.
Strategy 2: Use one-word modifiers to replace prepositional phrases.
Wordy: The assistant to the director is on maternity leave. Revised: The director’s assistant is on maternity leave. Strategy 3: Combine related sentences by omitting repetitive phrasing.
Wordy: The committee oversees accounting procedures and audits. The committee meets monthly.
Revised: The committee meets monthly to oversee accounting procedures and audits.
Improve the following sentences by eliminating unnecessary words. We identify the strategies for the first five sentences. For the remaining sentences, please identify the strategy you used.
1. It is difficult to land internships, but they offer a good way to break into a field. (Strategy 1)
2. The appraiser of real estate found a net loss in home values of 25 percent. (Strategy 2)
3. Customer feedback suggests we have a problem with the return policy. The return policy can be difficult to understand. (Strategy 3)
4. By developing new applications, there is an opportunity to reach new markets. (Strategy 1)
5. Silicon Valley is home to some of the word’s biggest venture capitalist firms. Many Silicon Valley venture capitalists are looking to invest in green industries. (Strategy 3)
6. A team from Montreal won the contract. (Strategy __)
Strategy 1: Use the true subject and verb at the beginning of a sentence instead of filler phrases such as “it is” “there is” and “there are.” Wordy: There are several important documents that will require your analysis. Revised: Several important documents will require your analysis.
Wordy: It is a company policy that all new hires take a training session. Revised: Company policy requires all new hires to take a training session.
Strategy 2: Use one-word modifiers to replace prepositional phrases.
Wordy: The assistant to the director is on maternity leave. Revised: The director’s assistant is on maternity leave. Strategy 3: Combine related sentences by omitting repetitive phrasing.
Wordy: The committee oversees accounting procedures and audits. The committee meets monthly.
Revised: The committee meets monthly to oversee accounting procedures and audits.
Improve the following sentences by eliminating unnecessary words. We identify the strategies for the first five sentences. For the remaining sentences, please identify the strategy you used.
1. It is difficult to land internships, but they offer a good way to break into a field. (Strategy 1)
2. The appraiser of real estate found a net loss in home values of 25 percent. (Strategy 2)
3. Customer feedback suggests we have a problem with the return policy. The return policy can be difficult to understand. (Strategy 3)
4. By developing new applications, there is an opportunity to reach new markets. (Strategy 1)
5. Silicon Valley is home to some of the word’s biggest venture capitalist firms. Many Silicon Valley venture capitalists are looking to invest in green industries. (Strategy 3)
6. A team from Montreal won the contract. (Strategy __)