Write concisely
Summary: No one wants to read wordy writing. So, don’t waste words.
Three ways to be concise
- Only include information that’s necessary — planning is important
- Don’t repeat anything unless it’s important that you do — reviewing and editing are important
- Cut words that aren’t doing any work — reviewing and editing are important.
Watch out for wordy writing habits
Meaningless modifiers
Meaningless modifiers or qualifiers are words we think change or add meaning to another word. But they don’t.
| (end) result | (brief) summary | (completely) destroyed |
| continue (on) | (past) history | plan (ahead) |
Redundant categories
Redundant categories spell out the category a word belongs to, when it’s already implied.
| brief (in duration) | consensus (of opinion) | free (of charge) |
| (the month of) December | (the state of) Victoria | (period of) 3 week |
Paired words
Paired words use two words that have roughly the same meaning.
| (each and) every | first (and foremost) | (full and) complete |
| fees (and charges) | cease (and desist) | various (and sundry) |
Wordy phrases
Wordy phrases include extra words that don’t do any extra work.
| (in order) to | is (located) at | during (the course of) |
| until (such time as) | owing to (the fact that) | (both) x and y |
Or using a phrase where one word would do.
| at this point in time (now, yet) | in the vicinity of (near) |
| due to the fact that (because) | as of the date of (from) |