Prune your writing – remove the redundant and replace wordy expressions with short ones. Here are some things to avoid:
- Impersonal beginnings e.g. expletives (there is/it is) and ‘waste words’ like ‘this, that, it’.
- Wordy expressions like ‘the fact that’, ‘in view of the fact that’ or ‘in order to’.
- Overusing adjectives or adverbs, which can make you sound emotionally involved, rather than objective and neutral.
Remember the drafter’s adage: Voltaire: “The adjective is the enemy of the noun.”
Test yourself
The wordy expression is in bold. See if you can rephrase to make it more concise and professional.
1 In view of the fact that the meeting was cancelled, the delegates decided to review the recommendations at a later date.
2 The meeting successfully concluded on Saturday, when we received massive support and great feedback about the eagerly awaited outcomes.
3 There is a tendency for this type of writing to sound as though it needs redrafting.
Answer key
1 The meeting being cancelled, the delegates decided to review the recommendations at a later date.
2 The meeting concluded on Saturday, when we received positive feedback about the outcomes. (adjectives and adverbs removed)
3 This type of writing tends to need redrafting
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Author: Carol Waites
Presentation/editing by Christina O’Shaughnessy
https://worldwidewriting.org/
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Carol Waites (PhD)
Email: carolswritingtips@gmail.com
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ISBN 9783952632703 Behind the Flags Amazon
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