1. MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Your writing should be as clear and concise as possible. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases.
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2. Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Your writing should be as clear and concise as possible. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases.
Can you spot the unnecessary words in this sentence?
I am of the opinion that the reason why our air quality
is declining is due to the fact that not enough people
in this day and age drive fuel-efficient vehicles.
Click to view the unnecessary words

3. Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Your writing should be as clear and concise as possible. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases.
Can you spot the unnecessary words in this sentence?
I am of the opinion that the reason why our air quality
is declining is due to the fact that not enough people
in this day and age drive fuel-efficient vehicles.
Click to see a revision

4. Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Your writing should be as clear and concise as possible. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases.
I am of the opinion that the reason why our air quality
is declining is due to the fact that not enough people
in this day and age drive fuel-efficient vehicles.
ORIGINAL
REVISED
Our air quality is declining because not enough people drive fuel-efficient vehicles.
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5. MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Use the following strategies to revise wordy sentences.
Click on the strategy you want to explore.
MENU
Eliminate padding
Delete repeated ideas
Reduce the number of modifiers
Change clauses to phrases
Remove unnecessary information

6. Eliminate Padding Wordiness MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
Continue…

7. Eliminate Padding Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
Phrases to watch out for include the following:
because of the fact that
the reason is
I believe that
the point is
what I mean is
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8. Eliminate Padding Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
Which phrase can be eliminated from this sentence?
The bus was late because of the fact that it had a flat tire.
Click to view the unnecessary phrase

9. Eliminate Padding Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
Which phrase can be eliminated from this sentence?
The bus was late because of the fact that it had a flat tire.
Click to see a revision

10. Eliminate Padding Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
Which phrase can be eliminated from this sentence?
The bus was late because of the fact that it had a flat tire.

11. Eliminate Padding Wordiness MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
The bus was late because of the fact that it had a flat tire.
The bus was late because of the fact that it had a flat tire.

12. Eliminate Padding Wordiness MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
The bus was late because of the fact that it had a flat tire.

13. Eliminate Padding Wordiness MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
The bus was late because o the fct tit had a flat tire.

14. Eliminate Padding Wordiness MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
The bus was late because of fit had a flat tire.

15. Eliminate Padding Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Be sure your sentences don’t contain empty or unnecessary phrases.
The bus was late because it had a flat tire.
Menu

16. Delete Repeated Ideas Wordiness MENU EXIT
Sometimes you may repeat the same idea in two different ways.
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17. Delete Repeated Ideas Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Sometimes you may repeat the same idea in two different ways.
Which idea is repeated in the following sentence?
At 7:00 A.M. in the morning, we were waiting at the bus stop.
Click to view the repeated idea

18. Delete Repeated Ideas Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Sometimes you may repeat the same idea in two different ways.
Which idea is repeated in the following sentence?
At 7:00 A.M. in the morning, we were waiting at the bus stop.
Click to see a revision

19. Delete Repeated Ideas Wordiness PREVIOUS MENU EXIT
Sometimes you may repeat the same idea in two different ways.
At 7:00 A.M. in the morning, we were waiting at the bus stop.
ORIGINAL
At 7:00 A.M. we were waiting at the bus stop.
REVISED
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20. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
Continue…

21. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
Where are the modifiers in the following sentence?
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.
Click to view the modifiers

22. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
Where are the modifiers in the following sentence?
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.
Continue…

23. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
Which modifiers could be removed?
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.
Click to see the unnecessary modifiers

24. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
Which modifiers could be removed? i
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.
Click to see a revision

25. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
Which modifiers could be removed?
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.

26. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
The bright, hot,
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.

27. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
The bright, hot, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.

28. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
The bright, blazing sun beat down on the travelers.

29. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
The brigblazing sun beat down on the travelers.

30. Reduce the Number of Modifiers
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Reduce the Number of Modifiers
Too many modifiers can actually decrease a sentence’s effectiveness.
The blazing sun beat down on the travelers.
Menu

31. Change Clauses to Phrases
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
Continue…

32. Change Clauses to Phrases
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.
In the following sentence, which clause could be changed to a phrase?
Click to view the clause

33. Change Clauses to Phrases
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
In the following sentence, which clause could be changed to a phrase?
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.
Continue…

34. Change Clauses to Phrases
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
How could you rewrite this clause as a phrase?
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.
Click to see a revision

35. Change Clauses to Phrases
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
How could you rewrite this clause as a phrase?
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.

36. Change Clauses to Phrases
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
Delete the introductory words to turn the clause into a phrase.
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.

37. Change Clauses to Phrases
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
Delete the introductory words to turn the clause into a phrase.
The police officer, who is a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.

38. Change Clauses to Phrases
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
Delete the introductory words to turn the clause into a phrase.
The police officer, who a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.

39. Change Clauses to Phrases
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Change Clauses to Phrases
Clauses that begin with who is, that is, or which is can often be reduced to simple phrases.
Delete the introductory words to turn the clause into a phrase.
The police officer, a ten-year veteran, was given a certificate of appreciation.
Menu

40. Remove Unnecessary Information
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Remove Unnecessary Information
Only include information that is important for your reader to know.
Continue…

41. Remove Unnecessary Information
PREVIOUS
MENU
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Wordiness
Remove Unnecessary Information
Only include information that is important for your reader to know.
What information could be removed from the following sentence?
My best friend, who lives across the street, builds functioning robots.
Click to view the unnecessary words

42. Remove Unnecessary Information
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Remove Unnecessary Information
Only include information that is important for your reader to know.
What information could be removed from the following sentence?
My best friend, who lives across the street, builds functioning robots. i
Click to see a revision

43. Remove Unnecessary Information
PREVIOUS
MENU
EXIT
Wordiness
Remove Unnecessary Information
Only include information that is important for your reader to know.
My best friend, who lives across the street, builds functioning robots.
ORIGINAL
My best friend builds functioning robots.
REVISED
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