Why are wordy sentences are killing your writing?
Why Wordy Sentences Are Killing Your Writing August 12, 2019 Teachers often assign essays that have to meet a minimum word, paragraph, or page count. Unfortunately, this often leads to a paper littered with wordy sentences A 2013-09-19: A little wordy .
How to fix wordy sentences?
- prior to
- in anticipation of
- subsequent to
- following on
- at the same time as
- simultaneously with
Can You give Me list of 5 word sentences?
“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The ...
How to reduce wordiness?
How to Reduce Wordiness: 4 Key Considerations. 1. Eliminate filler words. One easy way to avoid wordiness is to limit or eliminate the use of "filler words." Filler words sneak between relevant words, and though they may sound good, they are essentially useless. Take the phrase "It is commonly believed that . . .," for example.
How do you know a sentence is wordy?
Wordiness 101 A sentence is wordy when its sound exceeds its meaning. As you edit, cut or restate anything that does not help the reader focus on your point.
How do you write a wordy sentence?
Wordy sentences contain many unnecessary words. (Not just many words.) These sentences feel “watered down”—like you have to do a lot of work to gain a little information. Good writing is dense and concise; the words in the sentence work hard.
How do you fix wordy sentences?
Together, these changes create a stronger, more concise sentence.Use the Key Noun. ... Use Active Voice Rather Than Passive Voice Verbs. ... Avoid Unnecessary Language. ... Use Nouns Rather Than Vague Pronouns as Subjects. ... Use Verbs Rather Than Nouns to Express Action. ... Avoid a String of Prepositional Phrases.
Why are my sentences wordy?
It happens when a writer, either intentionally or unintentionally, uses far too many words or unnecessarily complex or abstract words. Wordiness can seriously detract from the coherency and quality of your writing and frustrate your readers.
How do you say too wordy?
wordycircuitous,circumlocutory,diffuse,garrulous,logorrheic,long-winded,pleonastic,prolix,More items...
What is an example of a verbose sentence?
1, For once, his usually verbose wife was content to listen. 2, His writing is difficult and often verbose. 3, Legal writing is often unclear and verbose. 4, He was a notoriously verbose after-dinner speaker.
What is wordiness in writing?
Wordiness means using more words than necessary within a sentence, especially short, vague words that do not add much meaning. Wordy sentences are often indirect; their subject and verb do not express the main focus of the sentence.
How do you cut a wordy phrase?
6 Ways to Cut Wordiness for More Effective Writing“Because” it's so simple. Replace longer phrases such as: ... Cut doubled words down. ... Chop “there are/is” and the relative pronoun. ... Drop formulaic phrases for single word forms. ... Drop indefinite articles when appropriate. ... Cull your writing for all non-essential words.
What are the examples of sentences?
Examples of simple sentences include the following:Joe waited for the train. "Joe" = subject, "waited" = verb.The train was late. ... Mary and Samantha took the bus. ... I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station. ... Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station early but waited until noon for the bus.
Why is wordiness a problem in essay writing?
Wordiness Adds Words–It Doesn't Add Meaning. Just because you've added more words to your paper doesn't mean that you've added any meaning. Let's say you've drafted your paper, and you're at 862 words. Your paper is supposed to be a minimum of 900 words, and your prof is a real stickler for word count.
What are the 4 types of wordiness?
Let's have a quick look at the 4 types of wordiness that destroys your writing and sends readers away — and how to fix it.Complex Sentences. When writing, you might catch a flow. ... Overusing Complex Words. ... Bulky Paragraphs. ... Blurred Picture.
Choose the Right Synonym for wordy
wordy, verbose, prolix, diffuse mean using more words than necessary to express thought. wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity. a wordy speech verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision. the verbose position papers prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.
Examples of wordy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Reading passages will be shorter and will be followed by a single question, and math problems will be less wordy, Ms. Rodriguez said. — Douglas Belkin, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2022 Far too often, copywriters are too verbose and wordy. — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2021
First Known Use of wordy
Check out the 11 best games for word lovers from our team at The Usage.
Why is the original version of a sentence better?
The original version was much better because it flowed better from one sentence to the next. On the other side of the spectrum, you can have short and wordy sentences. Wordiness isn’t about length—it’s about content. Take a look at these sentences: Her mouth was watering a lot. Her mouth watered.
What is a weasel word?
Weasel words are words writers use that aren’t necessary at all. They just seem to weasel their way into sentences without writers noticing. They’re not always easy to spot because we tend to use them when we speak. But unless you’re writing a very conversational piece, it’s best to be on the lookout for them.
Why are adjectives and adverbs helpful?
Adjectives and adverbs can be helpful. They often fill in specific details for your readers and give them a clear picture of what you’re describing. However, students and writers sometimes overuse adjectives and adverbs when they could have instead chosen a stronger noun or verb.
Do you use thesaurus in an essay?
Just be careful not to overuse it. After all, you don’t want your readers to have to use a thesaurus just to get through your essay.
Is the first sentence too many unnecessary words?
While both sentences are short, the first has too many unnecessary words. The second gets the same message across without losing any meaning or context. Many teachers, writers, and readers would say it even sounds stronger than the first.
Can you fail an essay if you have too much wordiness?
It’s true that you probably won’t fail your paper just because you have some wordiness. But it can detract from the impact of your essay. And if there’s too much wordiness, it makes it hard for your readers to find the important information you’ve worked so hard to include.
Is it important to have long sentences?
Not necessarily. In fact, long sentences are important—as long as you vary the length of your sentences. If you wrote a whole essay using nothing but short sentences, it would sound choppy. See this paragraph revamped as short sentences, for example: Not necessarily. Long sentences are important. But vary the length.
What Does It Mean to Be Too Wordy?
Academic Wordiness
- Essays are particularly prone to wordiness. Here’s a passage sourced from San Jose State Universityon the topic of pruning prose. They used the below as an example of wordiness: There is currently a lively, ongoing controversy among many sociologists and other professionals who study human nature : theories are being spun and arguments are being conducted among them …
Redundant Expressions
- A redundant expression is another type of wordy expression and it means you’re saying the same thing twice to fill space. For example, if you reference an ‘empty void’, you’re using a redundant expression, or ‘doublespeak’. A void is by its definition empty. The synonymous or related words aren’t always right next to each other in redundant express...
Passive Phrases
- The passive voicemakes your writing look indirect and less trustworthy. You’ll recognize the passive voice from any document you’ve ever read which tries to shift responsibility from the party in question and put a distance between themselves and the action. It refuses to get to the point and doesn’t add clarity to the situation it’s describing - sometimes this is deliberate, and someti…
Go Forth and Edit!
- Don’t forget that clarifying your content and cutting out the fluff isn’t about dumbing down your content. It’s about opening it up. Got a question about how to improve readability? Let us know in the comments or get in touch.