Brevity Archives - Writing Commons https://writingcommons.org The encyclopedia for writers Thu, 23 Nov 2023 06:39:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://writingcommons.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/cropped-WC-Site-23-32x32.png Brevity Archives - Writing Commons https://writingcommons.org 32 32 Brevity – Say More with Less https://writingcommons.org/section/style/elements-of-style/brevity/ Tue, 10 Sep 2019 23:00:00 +0000 https://transfer.writingcommons.org/?page_id=2141 Brevity Definition – Summary Brevity in writing refers to a writer’s effort to say enough to convey an intended message using as few words as possible. Texts that illustrate brevity may be described as professional, concise, straight to the point, succinct, business-like, or direct. Brevity isn’t just about succinctness. Your reader needs you to provide ... Read more

The post Brevity – Say More with Less appeared first on Writing Commons.]]> Writing Concisely and Avoiding Redundancy https://writingcommons.org/article/writing-concisely-and-avoiding-redundancy/ Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:08:39 +0000 https://transfer.writingcommons.org/2015/10/01/writing-concisely-and-avoiding-redundancy/ Conciseness Improves Flow

Unfortunately, many writers use sentences that are too wordy.  This is not to suggest that lengthy sentences can never be used (because they certainly can), but most of the time writers make the mistake of using more words than necessary to get their message across.  Take this sentence, for example: 

  • “Michelle was supposed to have her car’s oil changed every 3,000 miles, and since it had been 3,000 miles since her last oil change, she took her car to the mechanic.”
The post Writing Concisely and Avoiding Redundancy appeared first on Writing Commons.]]> Eliminate “to be” Verbs https://writingcommons.org/article/eliminate-to-be-verbs/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:42:49 +0000 https://transfer.writingcommons.org/2009/10/31/eliminate-to-be-verbs/ In our daily speech and in rough drafts, we tend to rely heavily on the various forms of the verb to be. The verb to be is unlike any other verb because it is inert–that is, it doesn’t show any action. For example, in the sentence “The researcher is a professor at Duke” the verb is merely connects ... Read more

The post Eliminate “to be” Verbs appeared first on Writing Commons.]]> Edit for Strings of Prepositional Phrases https://writingcommons.org/section/writing-process/editing/edit-strings-of-prepositional-phrases/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:39:12 +0000 https://transfer.writingcommons.org/2009/10/31/edit-strings-of-prepositional-phrases/ Eliminate choppy writing by avoiding unnecessary prepositions.

When used in moderation, prepositions are invaluable: they work as connecting words, linking the object of the preposition to a word that appears earlier in the sentence. Like linking verbs, however, prepositions do not convey action, nor do they subordinate one thought to another. Instead, they merely link chunks of meaning that readers must gather together in order to understand the sentence.

The post Edit for Strings of Prepositional Phrases appeared first on Writing Commons.]]> Exercise: Maintain a High Verb-to-Noun Ratio https://writingcommons.org/article/maintain-a-high-verb-to-noun-ratio/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:38:17 +0000 https://transfer.writingcommons.org/2009/10/31/maintain-a-high-verb-to-noun-ratio/ Create a persuasive, dynamic voice by packing your sentences with verbs rather than nominalizations.

You can imbue your language with a sense of vigor by eliminating unnecessary nouns and choosing powerful verbs. When editing, consider changing Latinated nouns--that is, nouns that end with -ance, -ing, -ion, -tion, or -ment into verbs.

The post Exercise: Maintain a High Verb-to-Noun Ratio appeared first on Writing Commons.]]>