Brief, yet comprehensive. "She'd fit, for the most part, in a shoebox, so it's hard enough to recall a time when Allison, our Shih Tzu, was noticeably smaller. Using strong, descriptive adjectives helps trim down sentence length. They are redundant enough. Grammarly’s conciseness suggestions find these pesky phrases, like “for the purposes of” or “a number of,” and offer shorter alternatives, like “to,” and “several.” That way, your reader can spend more time digesting your message and less time wading through extra words. What is an example of a concise sentence? They convolute your sentences. It’s easy to lose the point, however, when you’re three commas and two em-dashes deep. Grammarly’s conciseness suggestions will help you find and get rid of these, making your writing that much cleaner. Grammarly’s clarity suggestions are built for taming these tendencies. Sometimes, you may have written something two different ways without realizing it. In many cases, you will want to write for a global audience to have your research … To be easily understood. >>READ MORE: How to Use Grammarly’s Performance Reports. When writing an academic research manuscript, being clear and concise is critical. Front-Load, Organize, and Cut . There’s nothing wrong with writing long sentences, especially if they’re well constructed and lead to a point. But often a second look can reveal that you may need two words where you were using five or six. Struggling to make your writing easy to understand? Turn adjective and noun pairs into adverbs. >>READ MORE: How to Use Grammarly to Learn From Your Mistakes. In an active sentence, the subject (the person or thing doing the action) comes … Grammarly’s readability suggestions, as well as the Grammarly Editor’s overall readability score, can help keep your sentences grounded. To keep your writing concise and simple 10.10. Brief, yet clear. Concise version: Redundancy in information theory is the number of bits used to transmit a message minus the number of bits of actual information in the message. There we have it. That’s because we tend to think that the more we explain something, the more clear it becomes. Unless necessary, avoid phrases like: Particularly in the area of academic or research paper writing, the above phrases are best avoided. Think of a multi-word way of saying is or used. There will sometimes be a strong tendency for most of us to clutter up our writing, with a host of unnecessary words or phrases in the text. Use plain language. Concise sentences and paragraphs grip your reader’s attention and help them focus on your main point. They may be tempting, yes; they may sound fancy; but strive to achieve "snappy" and concise writing by doing away with them. Eliminate Any Filler Words. Always keep the writing simple. Conciseness is communicating complete information about a topic or idea in a few words. Less is more, and don't say in three sentences what you can say in one. … It’s OK to overwrite when you’re just trying to get words on the page. Here are some common examples Because redundant words are always funny according to natural law, section 11.2, with its eye-opening list of redundancies, expendable words, and incomparable phrases, can supply abundant levity. Readability suggestions pinpoint where a sentence may benefit from being split into two or simplified. Writing clearly and concisely is something that many writers struggle with. eur-lex.europa.eu. Grammarly’s tautology check helps you cut redundant words and leaves you with stronger, more direct sentences. This could be writing two verbs when one would do, or asking someone to meet you at “3 … Not affiliated with Harvard College. In our attempt to write precisely, we become verbose. Embellishing one's work with words can add a literary quality to a text, but trying too hard may be akin to "not seeing the wood because of the trees". When you cut such redundancies, you make your writing clearer and more concise. They suck the vigor from your writing. Passive voice has its place—usually in formal or legal documents. Concise: I would prefer to test the software before buying it. To make this sentence more concise, move the subject to the front and get rid of the “to be” verb (in this case, “was”). Concise writing also involves being mindful of word choice. D. All of the above. We uncover everything from the active voice to repetition. “Brevity is the soul of wit,” said Shakespeare’s Polonius. Evil fiend/villain: The word “fiend” or “villain” already implies said person is evil. Delete those words and characters in bold and you have a passage that reads more swiftly and gracefully. Repetitive Wording. With Grammarly’s conciseness, clarity, and readability suggestions, you can convey the message you want in a way that’s efficient, effective, and clear. Use qualifiers and intensifiers judiciously. Compound constructions use three or four words to do the work of one or two words. Which of the following is a goal of business writing B. So keep an eye out for redundant words and phrases or any time you might repeat yourself. Compound Constructions . Readers don't want to rummage through a messy verbal flea market to discover one or two sparkly gems of information. GradeSaver. Self-Edit & Bring in an Outside Editor. The legal profession once advocated plain language (ha ha!). But in many other styles of writing, passive voice is still frowned upon. Another common mistake is to resort to repetition as a means of emphasizing a point. A qualifier is a word or phrase that limits the reach of a … Can you spot the redundancy in this one? This last one is a bit of a catch-all, but as I mentioned in the opening, few things … Words of emphasis sure are essential, but don't "over-emphasize" in such a way that you are underestimating your readers' comprehension and ability. To be concise in our writing, we refrain from using redundant modifiers, redundant pairs and redundant categories. Many writers are guilty of violating this rule at times, especially in their daily conversations. But if you’re writing a quick but important email or working on a deadline, you may not always have time to trim the fat. Wordiness is an easy habit to fall into. But, be that as it may, when we for the first time brought her into our house about six years ago, she was positively microscopic. You need to choose the strongest words to illustrate your point. Struggling to make your writing easy to understand? Here’s how they can help make your writing concise and clear. Your document’s, What Makes Design Special at Grammarly? Focus on the substance of what you're trying to say through writing, first and foremost of all. Several years of editing for a professional writing service taught me these four tips for keeping content clean and concise. It doesn't change the negative impact that the clutter of You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog. Bringing it Together . They are words (or phrases) that add … These tips for writing clear, concise sentences will help you cut to the chase and avoid confusion. In a separate article, we explored a few ways to make a manuscript more concise. B. Filler words also fluff sentences. Use the active voice. *) Succinct speaks lucidly. Once you've truly ironed out your ideas and the point(s) you want to make, a step by step roadmap – without redundancy – will take shape . In essence, writers are wordsmiths, they have a deep rooted passion for language and, … Their incomplete overlap is a technicality. Filling your sentences with unnecessary fluff is common when you’re writing a first draft. Simplify “evil fiend” to … Here are a few other situations when fewer words may suffice. After all, no one wants to read a bunch of clipped, four-word sentences over and over again. This is counterintuitive, to say the least. However, as you proofread your papers, try to double-check them for unnecessary phrases that you can omit or edit. Redundancy. Always check and double-check to see if there is needless repetition, or if there are any redundant words, phrases, or expressions that can be removed. Strengthen Weak Adjectives. Lawyers often use compound constructions rather than plain English. Avoiding unnecessary words can help your readers focus on key information and also helps you stay under word or page limits imposed by your target journal. The best ways to catch and eliminate those filler words from … To train children to be concise, attach a word limit or try restricting the … There will sometimes be a strong tendency for most of us to clutter up our writing, with a host of unnecessary words or phrases in the text. Redundancy, defined in the dictionary as the "superfluous repetition or overlapping of words", is best avoided in any line of communication between writer and reader, whatever the form of writing. Grammarly’s readability suggestions help clear things up. Your document’s readability score measures your word length and sentence length against other Grammarly users and tells you how easy your document is to understand. This is especially true when writing to a set word count perhaps, in which sometimes a little "padding" will assist. Grammarly’s readability suggestions, as well as the Grammarly Editor’s overall readability score, can help keep your sentences grounded. GradeSaver, Essay Writing: First-Person and Third-Person Points of View. Grammarly’s clarity suggestions identify passive voice for you, so you can judge for yourself where it’s appropriate and where it needs rewording. Don't pay an excessive amount of attention to unnecessary details. Wordy: I personally would prefer to test the software before buying it. Donna B. Comeaux Basic PLUS Author | 14 Articles Joined: August 1, 2013 Writing Clear And Concise - Rid Your Writing Of Redundant Words She emphasizes how achieving the ‘three Cs’—clarity, conciseness, and consistency—can reduce user confusion and result in user success, and, as a bonus, reduce word count and thus reading time, translation costs, and the cost of … Grammarly’s readability suggestions help clear things up. His arguments were concise, simple, and clear. So too in writing—filler phrases like “needless to say” or “essentially” can clog up the page, while our rambling thoughts can turn a linear argument into a sea of three-line sentences and half-page paragraphs. Below are some examples, with clean versions that "tighten" the writing and convey the same information more clearly and concisely: Clear and concise writing saves both the writer and his/her readers a great deal of time (and patience). "Above all, there is, of course, absolutely no need indeed to decorate your sentence with words and phrases of emphasis if, without them, the sentence undeniably is indeed equally capable of stressing your point.". Redundancy is when you use more words than necessary to express something, especially words and/or phrases in the same sentence that mean the same thing. Clear, Concise, Consistent: Reducing User Confusion In this session, Rhonda identifies common writing problems and offer practical strategies for fixing them. Get clear. Avoid super-long sentences. Delete ideas that are implied (true facts, free gift, each individual). eur-lex.europa.eu. Search. Concise usually implies that unnecessary details or verbiage have been eliminated from a more wordy statement: a concise summary of the speech. Follow these guidelines to write clear and concise sentences that your audience can comprehend quickly and easily. business message clear A. Limiting your word count isn’t enough to write concisely. To help readers find your treasures, front-load, organize, and cut. C. Resist the urge to show off or be fancy. Repetition, unnecessary words, use of meaningless jargon, and use of pompous or over-the-top sentences and phrases are the main culprits behind redundancy in writing. The most effective writing is concise—free of filler words, with just the right tone to get your point across. Some writers write the way they speak, using filler phrases and redundant … BTW: this is a great family of synonyms relating to bevity of language: *) Terse is tense and possibly rude. You will also encounter a well-known quotation from Yogi Berra. Read on to learn more! People are more likely to read a clear and concise article than one that is torturous and verbose. Grammarly’s conciseness suggestions help identify redundant, overused, and unnecessary phrases that may get in the way of what you’re trying to express—words and phrases like “for what it’s worth,” “actually,” and “really.”. His style is elevated and concise, but somewhat difficult. Replace negative statements with positive ones when possible (not replaceable = irreplaceable, not dissimilar = similar). This page teaches you how to avoid verbosity (a fancy word for wordiness) and write succinctly. To achieve this, we must also write with concision. Grammarly’s conciseness suggestions help identify redundant, overused, and unnecessary phrases that may get in the way of what you’re trying to express—words and phrases like “for what it’s worth,” “actually,” and “really.” Sometimes, you may have written something two different ways without realizing it. Concise, by way of definition means simply “the giving of a lot of information in a manner that is not only clear, but also uses as few words as necessary” Essentially, to say something is ‘concise’ means that it is quick and to the point. Here’s one way to make the sentence less repetitive and more concise: It can occur after any fracture, but the most common is a tibial fracture due to the large amount of swelling that occurs in a tight compartment. Readers and audiences treasure concise writing. To be concise and clear, consider deleting meaningless words or phrases. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. The length of a paper is not a measure of its merit; it’s the information in it that is important. In this passive construction, the meaning of the sentence is clear, but there are more words than necessary. This could be writing two verbs when one would do, or asking someone to meet you at “3 p.m. in the afternoon” when “3 p.m.” would suffice. Wordy: The lost phone is blue in color. More concise writing will also help you, the writer, organize your ideas and streamline your overall writing process. It doesn't change the negative impact that the clutter of redundant words and phrases are likely to have on the quality of our writing. 9.9. Concise version: Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and engineering involving the quantification of information. Why would we not write clear and concise prose? Get Grammarly. Or, as Strunk and White put it, “Omit needless words” (23). Readability suggestions pinpoint where a sentence may benefit from being split into two or simplified. Brief, yes, but not in a good way. Allison, for the most part, liked to hide in impossible spaces (if only because she could): between the fridge and the china cabinet, behind the open front door and entrance (flanking the umbrellas), under the coffee table, behind the sofa, her hairs ruining the bejesus out of the living room carpet.". We also consider dropping empty and general nouns, and omitting … Our Growing Team Shares Their Stories, Your Guide to Grammarly's Free and Premium Features, Strike the Right Tone on the Go with Our Tone Detector for Mobile, Writing a Powerful Resume Is Easy with Grammarly | Grammarly Spotlight, Grammarly's New Formatting Suggestions Make Your Text More Readable, How to Use Grammarly to Learn From Your Mistakes, How to Use Grammarly’s Performance Reports. Writing with clarity is to produce text which will be easily read; not awkward, not hard to read. When speaking, many of us stall with filler words and phrases like “um,” “you know,” and “basically,” or we lose our train of thought while we’re on our way to a good point. Do you speak the same language? The first thing you need to be clear about is your target audience: Are your readers experts in the same field as you or are you writing for a more general audience? Concise: The lost phone is blue. Conciseness in writing. Use short sentences to emphasize a point; use longer … Take a look at the following paragraph, and note that the words and characters in bold are words and characters that can be easily removed from the text without changing the meaning and flow of the document. This is especially true when writing to a set word count perhaps, in which sometimes a little "padding" will assist. There are commonly used phrases that do nothing but clutter up a sentence – and subsequently, the entire text. It makes the document more "palatable" and straight to the point. Delete doubles (full and complete, any and all, first and foremost, honest and true, each and every). This amendment may be considered redundant: Article 3, paragraphs 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the Common Position clearly define [...] international as well as domestic [...] journeys and services, respectively, in a clear and concise manner without contradicting COTIF/CIV. Sentences express and connect the meaning of your ideas. Keep your message simple and conversational. Revision: John Adams wrote the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution. Good writing is clear and concise and gets to the point. redundant.htm. Before you draft your next paper, consider the three C's: Make sure your writing is clear, concise, and conversational. Authors who receive reviews that recommend shortening of their manuscripts should not feel offended. Pay attention to sentence length and emphasis In his book, Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach, Paul Anderson recommends varying the lengths of sentences. 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'' and straight to the point no one wants to read to get words the... And true, each individual ) violating this rule at times, especially if they ’ re three and! Entire text urge to show off or be fancy guidelines to write clear and concise, simple, communication. Usually implies that unnecessary details or verbiage have been successfully subscribed to the chase and avoid.. S attention and help them focus on your main point characters in bold you... Or verbiage have been successfully subscribed to the point long sentences, especially if they ’ re just to. Great family of synonyms relating to bevity of language: * ) Terse is tense and possibly.. Most effective writing is clear and concise and gets to the point nothing! '' and straight to the point, however, when you ’ re commas! Not feel offended point ; Use longer … Good writing is clear and concise prose, and.