{"id":90,"date":"2024-05-28T23:28:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T23:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karenmariepalmer.com\/theroughwritersguide\/chapter\/writing-clearly-and-concisely\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T23:29:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T23:29:23","slug":"writing-clearly-and-concisely","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/karenmariepalmer.com\/theroughwritersguide\/chapter\/writing-clearly-and-concisely\/","title":{"raw":"Writing Clearly and Concisely","rendered":"Writing Clearly and Concisely"},"content":{"raw":"\n
\n\nWhen revising, it's important to check to be sure that you are conveying your ideas accurately and in a way that keeps readers' attention. This means eliminating repetitive ideas, using straightforward language, using appropriate language, and, sometimes, using figurative language.\n

Eliminating Repetitive Ideas<\/h1>\n

Unless you are providing definitions on purpose, stating one idea in two ways within a single sentence is redundant and not necessary. Read each example and think about how you could revise the sentence to remove repetitive phrasing that adds wordiness. Then study the suggested revision below each example.<\/p>\n\n

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Original:<\/strong> Use a very heavy skillet made of cast iron<\/strong> to bake an extra juicy meatloaf.<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> Use a cast iron skillet to bake a very juicy meatloaf.<\/p>\n

Original:<\/strong> Joe thought to himself<\/strong>, \u201cI think I\u2019ll make caramelized grilled salmon tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> Joe thought, \u201cI think I\u2019ll make caramelized grilled salmon tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Removing Repeated Words<\/h2>\n

As a general rule, you should try not to repeat a word within a sentence. Sometimes you simply need to choose a different word. But often you can actually remove repeated words. Read this example and think about how you could revise the sentence to remove a repeated word that adds wordiness. Then check out the revision below the sentence.<\/p>\n\n

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Original:<\/strong> The student who won the cooking contest is a very talented and ambitious student<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> The student who won the cooking contest is very talented and ambitious.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Use Straightforward Language<\/h1>\n

Rewording to Eliminate Unneeded Words<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If a sentence has words that are not necessary to carry the meaning, those words are unneeded and can be removed to reduce wordiness. Read each example and think about how you could revise the sentence to remove phrasing that adds wordiness. Then check out the suggested revisions to each sentence.<\/p>\n\n

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Original:<\/strong> Andy has the ability to make<\/strong> the most fabulous twice-baked potatoes.<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> Andy makes the most fabulous twice-baked potatoes.<\/p>\n

Original:<\/strong> For his part in the<\/strong> cooking class group project, Malik was responsible for making<\/strong> the mustard reduction sauce.<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> Malik made the mustard reduction sauce for his cooking class group project.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Use Specific Words<\/h2>\n

You will always give clearer information if you write with specific rather than general words.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/iqGDIgXak4A\n

Look at the following example and think about how you could reword it using specific terms. Then check out the following revision to see one possible option.<\/p>\n\n

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Original:<\/strong> The animals<\/strong> got out and ruined the garden produce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> The horses<\/em> got out and ruined the tomatoes and cucumbers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

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General Words<\/th>\nSpecific Words<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
children<\/td>\nTess and Abby<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
animals<\/td>\ndogs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
food<\/td>\ncheeseburger and a salad<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Use Concrete Words<\/h2>\nAnother way to make your writing clearer and more interesting is to use concrete, rather than abstract, words<\/span>. Abstract words do not have physical properties. But concrete words evoke senses of taste, smell, hearing, sight, and touch. For example, you could say, \u201cMy shoe feels odd.\u201d This statement does not give a sense of why your shoe feels odd since odd is an abstract word that doesn\u2019t suggest any physical characteristics. Or you could say, \u201cMy shoe feels wet.\u201d This statement gives you a sense of how your shoe feels to the touch. It also gives a sense of how your shoe might look as well as how it might smell. Look at the following example and think about how you could reword it using concrete words. Then check out the following revision to see one possible option.<\/span>\n\n<\/div>\n
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Original:<\/strong> The horses got<\/strong> out and ruined<\/strong> the tomatoes and cucumbers.<\/p>\n

Revision:<\/strong> The horses stampeded<\/em> out and squished and squirted<\/em> the tomatoes and cucumbers.<\/p>\n\n

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Abstract Words<\/th>\nConcrete Words<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
noise<\/td>\nclanging and squealing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
success<\/td>\na job I like and enough money to live comfortably<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
civility<\/td>\ntreating others with respect<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Focusing on Both Denotations and Connotations<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Consider that the words \u201claid-back\u201d and \u201clackadaisical\u201d both mean \u201cunhurried and slow-moving.\u201d If someone said you were a \u201claid-back\u201d student, you would likely be just fine with that comment, but if someone said you were a \u201clackadaisical\u201d student, you might not like the connotation. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs all have both denotations and connotations. The denotation is the definition of a word. The connotation is the emotional sense of a word. For example, look at these three words:<\/p>\n\n