Vigorous writing is concise A sentence should contain

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. — William Strunk Jr. in Elements of Style

Redundancy and Wordiness Writing Concise Sentences

Defined Definition n n re·dun·dan·cy /rəˈdəndənsē/ the state of being not or no longer needed or useful. the use of words or data that could be omitted without loss of meaning or function; repetition or superfluity of information. synonyms: superfluity, unnecessariness, excess the inclusion of extra components that are not strictly necessary to functioning, in case of failure in other components.

Unlocking Vocabulary ü ü Pleonasm a phrase that repeats itself Expletive jhgjgjkghkjhk Euphemism is a word or phrase that substitutes for language the speaker or writer feels is too blunt or somehow offensive. Cliché is an expression that was probably, once upon a time, an original and brilliant way of saying something.

PRUNING THE REDUNDANT n n Avoid saying the same thing twice. Many uneducated citizens who have never attended school continue to vote for better schools. A phrase that repeats itself—like "true fact, " "twelve noon, " "I saw it with my own eyes"— is sometimes called a pleonasm. Redundant phrases are bad habits just waiting to take control of your writing.

Beware of these following redundancy expressions: Ø Ø Ø Ø 12 midnight 3 am in the morning absolutely spectacular/phenomenal a person who is honest a total of 14 birds biography of her life circle around Ø Ø Ø Ø 12 noon 3 am spectacular/ phenomenal an honest person 14 birds biography circle

Beware of these following redundancy expressions: n n n personally, I think/feel in my personal opinion puzzling in nature refer back repeat again return again n I feel/I think n opinion n n puzzling refer repeat return

Avoiding Wordy Sentences 1. Reducing Clauses to Phrases, Phrases to Single Words Be alert for clauses or phrases that can be pared to simpler, shorter constructions. Example: n Citizens who knew what was going on voted him out of office. n Knowledgeable citizens voted him out of office.

Avoiding Wordy Sentences 2. Beware of intensifiers that do not really intensify Avoid using words such as really, very, quite, extremely, severely when they are not necessary. Examples:

Avoiding Wordy Sentences 3. Avoiding Expletive Constructions Expletive constructions begin with there is/are or it is. Example: n There are twenty-five students who have already expressed a desire to attend the program next summer. It is they and their parents who stand to gain the most by the government grant. n Twenty-five students have already expressed a desire to attend the program next summer. They and their parents stand to gain the most by the government grant.

Avoiding Wordy Sentences 4. Phrases You Can Omit for important sounding phrases that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence

Links for Additional Practice 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. http: //grammar. ccc. commnet. edu/grammar/concise. htm http: //grammar. ccc. commnet. edu/grammar/quizzes/wordy_quiz. htm http: //grammar. ccc. commnet. edu/grammar/quizzes/nova 8. htm http: //grammar. ccc. commnet. edu/grammar/quizzes/nova 11. htm http: //www. cliffsnotes. com/writing/grammar/idioms-cliches-jargon-slangeuphemisms-and-wordiness/quiz-wordiness 6. http: //kwiznet. com/p/take. Quiz. php? Chapter. ID=12297&Curriculum. ID=58&Num= 4. 14 7. https: //www. prismnet. com/~hcexres/style/wordiness_redundancy. html 8. https: //owl. english. purdue. edu/exercises/6/9/57

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