In writing, clarity is key. In whatever you are writing, whether it is an essay, a report or part of your novel, getting to the point matters. Excessive wordiness or writing more than necessary will hide the main message, may confuse readers and in general hurt your writing. You can increase the readability and force of your writing by removing unnecessary words or phrases.
Here’s how to do it.
1. Identify and Remove Duplicate Phrases
When you use two or more words to express the same idea, you are just adding unwanted words. Examples of phrases that are redundant are “free gift”, “advance planning”, and “completely unanimous”. Simply write “result” in place of “end result”. This will make your writing more precise and your prose tighter.
Example:
- Wordy: The final outcome of the experiment was completely unanimous among all participants.
- Concise: The experiment’s outcome was unanimous.
2. Avoid Unnecessary Qualifiers and Intensifiers
Words like “very”, “really”, “basically”, and “actually” are examples of qualifiers and intensifiers that don’t usually improve writing. They may weaken the impact of your statements and give your sentences a hazy feeling. Rather than writing “very important”, use a more impactful term such as “crucial” or “essential”. Your writing will be more direct once you eliminate these superfluous words.
Example:
- Wordy: The meeting was really important for deciding the future direction of the project.
- Concise: The meeting was crucial for deciding the project’s future direction.
3. Simplify Complex Sentences
Wordiness can result from complex sentences with lots of clauses, conjunctions, and ideas. Using too many complex sentences can make your writing hard to read. Divide lengthy sentences into more manageable chunks. This highlights the important points and enhances readability.
Example:
- Wordy: Due to the fact that the committee was unable to come to a decision, the vote was postponed until a later date.
- Concise: Since the committee couldn’t decide, the vote was postponed.
4. Use Active Voice
Now use of voice might be a wild card entry for reducing wordiness but passive voice frequently results in long sentences. Passive constructions involve the subject receiving the action instead of doing it themselves, which usually calls for additional words and can make it unclear who is doing what. Conversely, an active voice is usually more succinct and direct. Rewrite passive sentences in the active voice whenever you can.
Example:
- Wordy: The report was written by the manager and was reviewed by the team.
- Concise: The manager wrote the report, and the team reviewed it.
5. Eliminate Fillers
Filler words like “it is”, “there are”, “there is”, and “it was” are frequently used to introduce the subject multiple times. To make the sentence more direct and understandable, these phrases can typically be removed or rearranged. Consider condensing multiple sentences or clauses that convey related ideas into a single, more succinct statement if you find that this is the case in your writing. By using this method, you can cut down on wordiness without sacrificing the message’s emphasis or clarity.
Example:
- Wordy: The candidate is experienced in managing teams. The candidate also has a strong background in project management.
- Concise: The candidate is experienced in managing teams and has a strong project management background.
Reducing wordiness improves the clarity, strength, and effectiveness of your writing in addition to making it shorter. Your writing will be of higher quality and your message will be understood better. You will become a more proficient communicator by practising conciseness, whether you’re writing for personal, professional, or academic purposes.