One of the most important skills for any writer to develop is the ability to be concise (seeing as most of us aren’t trying to write the next 1,200-page War and Peace). Concise writing keeps readers engaged and improves clarity, but reducing wordiness involves more than just knowing what sentences to cut. There are a few sneaky ways writers often increase their word counts. Here are some ways to avoid a few of the biggest pitfalls I’ve encountered.
1. Reduce Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases (which start with words such as “in,” “for,” “at,” or “on”) can often make a sentence longer and more complicated if they are unnecessary.
Wordy: The opinion of the CEO was that working on implementing a new business plan and selling the assets of the company was the only solution for surviving the type of economic crisis that the country was in at the time.
Concise: The CEO’s opinion was that implementing a new business plan and selling the company’s assets was the only way to survive the economic crisis.
Or even: The CEO believed that the company needed to implement a new business plan and sell their assets to survive the economic crisis.
2. Remove Unnecessary Relative Clauses
Relative clauses provide extra information to define or identify what is being discussed in a sentence. They often begin with words like “that,” “who,” or “which.” These clauses can be removed or simplified when they do not add helpful information or clarity.
Wordy: There have been multiple occasions that we have had recently where flights have been delayed at the airport, which the locals who are in the area use. The officials that are at the airport are blaming the bad weather that often plagues the area.
Concise: Recently, many flights have been delayed at the local airport. The officials are blaming the bad weather that often plagues the area. (We removed almost all the relative clauses except for the last one, which provides a key detail.)
3. Write in Active Voice
Passive voice constructions tend to be wordier and less engaging. Active voice constructions tend to use fewer words and help readers focus on the main idea of the sentence.
Wordy: The boat had been tied up by the woman shortly after she arrived.
Concise: The woman tied up the boat shortly after she arrived. (In this case, we remove “had been” and make the woman the sentence’s subject.)
4. Remove or Combine Extra Sentences
Sometimes sentences can be combined when the subjects are the same to improve concision.
Wordy: George started his business when he was 21 years old. George was able to be very successful in what he did.
Concise: George started his business when he was 21 years old and was very successful. (I also removed the phrase “able to be” and the prepositional phrase “in what he did” because neither added meaning.)
5. Avoid Redundancies
Redundancies occur when multiple words or phrases convey the same meaning.
Wordy: “Unexpected surprise,” “past history.”
Concise: “Surprise,” “history.”
Wordy: He tried to anticipate in advance what would happen in the market.
Concise: He tried to anticipate what would happen in the market. (“Anticipate” already implies “in advance.”)
6. Remove Nominalizations
A nominalization is a verb or an adjective that has been transformed into a noun (many ending in -ity, -ment, -ion, or -ness). Nominalizations often reduce the strength of the sentence and make it more difficult to understand. Avoid nominalizations by returning them to their true verb or adjective forms.
Wordy: The writer’s work resulted in an increase in concision and a reduction in wordiness.
Concise: The writer’s work increased concision and reduced wordiness.
Wordy: We have the expectation that things will work out.
Concise: We expect that things will work out.
The editing phase is a great time to reduce wordiness. By looking out for the pitfalls I’ve described while reviewing your work, you can improve the precision of your writing and make it more enjoyable and understandable. With more practice, seeing opportunities for greater concision will become natural. If you’re working on a big project, you don’t have to go through this process alone. I have years of experience reducing wordiness and helping writers improve their writing. Interested in learning more? Check out my services page or contact me.
