Word Choice: Wordiness
Sometimes a writer makes use of phrases that are considered “wordy” or “unnecessary”. It’s important to always try to
write in a way that is clear and brief, and the way to achieve that is to recognize when too many words are being used to
show something simple.
Examples on how to express something in less words:
“Wordy”
I came to the realization that
She is of the opinion that
During the course of
In the event that
In the process of
Concise
I realized that
She thinks that
During
If
During, while
Exercises: Change the following phrases to be shorter/concise
There are truly many different aspects to consider:
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Concerning the matter of:
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Due to the fact that:
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Inevitable considerations of our analysis lie ahead:
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Word Choice: Repetition
There are times when the writer repeats the same word in the same sentence –This is when word choice is important. A
thesaurus is helpful when you don’t know what word to use instead.
Example:
Not Preferred: I believe that she is wonderful because she has a wonderful personality and because she literally shows
wonderful assets.
Preferred: I believe that she is wonderful because she has a remarkable personality that shows incredible assets.
Exercises: These next sentences repeat the same words too many times. Change them into other words that have the
same meaning, or eliminate them when necessary.
1. I see many things and I see many people and I actually see all that I need to see.
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2. The cat started jumping and then started running and the cat finally started sprinting.
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