1. “Vigorous writing is concise
“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 he make every word tell.” ~Strunk

2. Avoiding Redundancies In WRITING
WRITING TIP JOURNAL
Avoiding
Redundancies
In WRITING

3. Redundant Word Pairs Absolutely essential Circulate around Hollow tube
Close proximity
Hurry up
Actual facts
Connect together
I personally
Advance warning
Could possibly
Kneel down
Added bonus
Different kinds
Lag behind
All-time record
End result
Little baby
Assembled together
Exact same
Local residents
Fellow classmates
Now pending
Bald-headed
Final outcome
Old adage
Blend together
Fuse together
Over exaggerate
Careful scrutiny
Heat up
Protest against

4. Redundant Phrases Biography of his life Nostalgia for the past
Classify into groups
Period of time
Depreciate in value
Postpone until later
Disappear from sight
Red in color
Drowned to death
Round in shape
Each and every
Shiny in appearance
First and foremost
Small in size
Full to capacity
Tall in stature
Live studio audience
Vacillate back and forth
Meet each other
Whether or not

5. Redundant Acronym-Word Combos
A.M. in the morning
ATM machine
GOP party
PIN number
Please RSVP
RAM memory
UPC code
You only YOLO once

6. Eliminate Wordy Writing
Avoiding redundancies is only the beginning…

7. Wordiness
Wordy sentences use more words than necessary to convey the intended meaning.
Remember, this does not mean one should avoid qualifying, descriptive, or memorable language if these help convey meaning.

8. Concise sentences are thorough but brief.
Aim for Conciseness
Sentences that could be considered by many to be concise are the kind of sentences that are not only thorough but they are also brief.
Concise sentences are thorough but brief.

9. Advantages of Brevity
What do you suppose are some of the advantages (that you can think of) of writing the things that you attempt to compose in a style that is wordy, or, in other words, has more words than necessary to say the thing you mean to say? What are the advantages of writing concisely?

10. Strategies for Concise Writing
1. Avoid redundant word pairs and phrases, but also avoid repetitive ideas.
The exception to this rule is when you use restate an idea
for emphasis or clarity. Often, good writers will restate or reframe a difficult-to-grasp term or concept in an
easier-to-grasp or more memorable way.

11. Strategies for Concise Writing
2. Write in active voice since passive voice is typically more wordy. Jim threw the ball. The ball was thrown by Jim.

12. Strategies for Concise Writing
3. Avoid expletive construction.
There were…
There are…
There was…
It is…
It was…

13. Strategies for Concise Writing
It was not until the ninth inning that we finally had the leading score. (14)
REVISED TO ELIMINATE EXPLETIVE CONSTRUCTION . . .
We finally had the leading score, but not until the ninth inning. (12)
In the ninth inning, we finally had the leading score. (10)
. . . AND WORDINESS
We finally led in the ninth inning. (7)

14. Strategies for Concise Writing
4. Identify prepositional phrases to see if they can be re-arranged for brevity.
the man of importance = the important man
the employees at the bank = the bank employees
the price for the book = the book’s price
the dogs in the neighborhood = the neighborhood dogs

15. Strategies for Concise Writing
In short, “Omit needless words.” ~ Strunk

16. Let’s Practice Revising
There are many farmers in the area who are planning to attend the meeting, which is scheduled for next Friday. (20)

17. Let’s Practice Revising
Area farmers plan to attend Friday’s meeting.
(We reduced a 20-word sentence to 7 words without changing the meaning, tone, or intent of the sentence.)

18. Let’s Practice Revising
Some people believe in capital punishment, while other people are against it; there are a wide variety of many differing opinions on this subject. (24)

19. Let’s Practice Revising
Capital punishment is a contested subject. (6) OR Some people believe in capital punishment. (6) Capital punishment invokes debate. (4)

20. “Vigorous writing is concise
“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 he make every word tell.” ~Strunk