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Writing Concisely

Empty Phrases

Examples:

  • To all intents and purposes
  • In fact
  • In the process of

Intensifiers:

  • Absolutely
  • Actually
  • Really
  • Totally

Roundabout Expressions

Examples and Changes:

  • At the present time...Now
  • Until such time...Until
  • Most of the time...Usually

Redundant Expressions

Examples and Changes:

  • Blue in color...Blue
  • Past history...History

Repetition and Redundancy

Elliptical Constructions

Example:

The beginning of the Harry Potter books start when Harry discovers the fact that he has magical abilities

The Harry Potter books begin with Harry's discovery that he as magical powers

Expletive Constructions

Examples: (There are and It is)

Draft: There are several measures that institutions can take to curb plagiarism

Revision: Institutions can take several measures to curb plagiarism

Sentences built around nouns derived from verbs

Examples:

The destruction of the town by

tornado was complete.

The tornado destroyed the town

Draft:

Scientists cite glaciers, which have been retreating, and the polar ice caps, which have been shrinking, as evidence of global climate change

Revision:

Scientists cite retreating glaciers and shrinking polar ice caps as evidence of global climate change

Eliminating Ineffective or Unnecessary Repetition

Avoiding Roundabout Constructions

Using similar words repeatedly

Words that are empty of content and do not have meaning

Eliminating wordy expressions and unnecessary repetition

Eliminating Wordy Expressions

Phrases that carry no meaning

Saying something in many words that could be said in one

Reducing clauses to phrases

Consolidating Phrases, Clauses, and Sentences

Using two or more words together that convey the same thing

Citation

Howard, Rebecca. "Writing Concisely."Writing Matters. New York: 2010

pg. 516

The Difference Between Concise and Brief

Concise:

"Provides readers with all the information they need without distracting bloat"

-Writing Responsibly (517)

Brief:

"skimp on essential details"

-Writing Responsibly (517)

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