You know you must streamline your writing, but how, exactly? Here are some specific issues to look for:
1. Remove redundancies.
Avoid double-teaming terms like "a period of one week," "end
result," "free gift," and "personal opinion." Watch for phrases that
echo the quality in question: "oval in shape," "larger in size,"
"shorter in duration," and the like. Omit redundant words that are
already implied as part of an abbreviated term, such as machine in "ATM machine." [Editor's
note: The abbreviation stands for "automated teller machine"; even in
that phrase, "machine" is superfluous. "Automated teller" would suffice,
but ATM has become the accepted term.]
2. Reduce phrases to words.
Replace a descriptive phrase following a noun with a
one-word adjective that precedes the noun: "People who are experienced
at traveling know better than to label their luggage," for example, can
be revised to "Experienced travelers know better than to label their
luggage."
A modifying phrase, similarly, can be reduced to a simple
adverb: "Sympathizing with her concerns, he nodded in response to her
complaint," for instance, is more concisely expressed as, "He nodded
sympathetically in response to her complaint."
Delete extraneous phrases such as "which is" and "who were,"
as shown here: "We drove down Lombard Street, which is considered the
crookedest street in the world" is easily simplified to "We drove down
Lombard Street, considered the crookedest street in the world."
3. Omit gratuitous intensifiers and qualifiers.
Use adverbs that intensify or qualify in moderation: "They
had an extremely unpleasant experience" isn't accurate unless a
subsequent explanation justifies the intensifier extremely, and, "I was somewhat taken aback," isn't necessarily an improvement on, "I was taken aback."
4. Expunge expletives.
"There are" or "there is" is a weak way to start a sentence.
"There is a telling passage toward the end of the story," lacks the
focus of (and the more vivid verb in) the sentence, "A telling passage
occurs near the end of the essay."
5. Negate nominalizations.
"The report gave an analysis of the accident," uses a phrase
where a single word suffices. (This is known as a nominalization, or
smothering a verb.) When you see a "(verb) a/an (noun)" construction,
convert the noun into a verb and replace the phrase with it. In this
case, "The report analyzed the accident," is the more concise result. As
with deletion of expletives, a stronger verb is an additional benefit.
6. Delete superfluous phrases.
"At the present time," "for all intents and purposes," and
"in the event that" are just a few of many meaningless phrases that
clutter sentences. Excise them to tighten your writing.
7. Avoid clichés.
Likewise, "face the music," "litmus test," "tried and true"
and other timeworn phrases add nothing to your writing but filler;
they're useful only for padding a word count, but instructors and
editors (and readers) will notice.
8. Eschew euphemisms.
Generally, words that disguise concepts degrade language,
which is all about expressing, not repressing, meaning. For example,
"collateral damage," in reference to warfare (and, by extension, to all
interpersonal relationships), invites derision. However, use of some
euphemisms, such as those for human disabilities, is a well-meaning
effort to preserve the dignity of the disabled, though some people argue
that such cosmetic wording actually harms people by diminishing the
seriousness of their condition, or that it is for the benefit not of the
disabled but of people who would rather not be reminded about the
disabled.
A version of this post first appeared on DailyWritingTips.com.