Tips for better writing

Adapted and abridged from:http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/make-your-

writing-clearer-6-tips-for-re-wording-sentencesa/

Tips for those who wish to write more clearly and effectively

• Avoid the passive voiceThe passive voice is boneless. The subject is helpless, under the power of forces they do not command. In a well-written sentence, the verb is powerful and precise, an active tool at the subject’s command. For example:• Passive: It is believed by the boxer that the power is

there to cause his opponent to fall down.• Active: The boxer thinks he has a knock-out punch.

Avoid wordy phrasesSome writers use wordy phrases when a single word will do.

• Use “because” instead of:– due to the fact that– in light of the fact that– owing to the fact that

Avoid wordy phrases• Use “about” instead of:– concerning the matter of– in reference to– with regard to

• Use “can” instead of:– is able to– is in a position to– has the capacity to

Avoid wordy phrases• Limit prepositional phrases:

– Use an apostrophe, not a prepositional phrase, to show possession.• Bad: It was the opinion of the teacher that Susan was

ready for third grade.• Better: In the teacher’s opinion, Susan was ready for

third grade.

• Don’t use too many prepositional phrases in a sentence:

• Bad: The ultimate point of the discussion with all of the people was to reach a consensus of the group about what to do with the leftover funds from the fundraiser.

• Better: The group discussed options for the leftover fundraiser money and ultimately reached a decision.

Avoid wordy phrases• Watch for redundancy, stating the obvious,

or packing a sentence with excess detail and unnecessary modifiers:

• Wordy: Imagine in your mind what a caveman from an earlier prehistoric time must have thought about when he originally saw fire for the first time.• Better: Imagine what prehistoric man

thought when he saw fire for the first time..

Avoid wordy phrases• For precision and clarity, excise these

words from your writing:– kind of– sort of– really– basically– actually– generally– typically– for all intents and purposes

Avoid wordy phrases• Edit your writing for redundant pairs such

as:– true facts– past history– free gift– unexpected surprise– each individual

Combine sentences• In many cases, you can combine

information from two short sentences into one complex sentence without sacrificing clarity. Sentence variety also improves readability. – Wordy: The house next door is occupied

by three widowed sisters. They moved here in 1985 with their three dogs and haven’t left since.

– Better: Three widows and their dogs live next door, their home since 1985.

Avoid Vague Nouns and Noun Strings• All-purpose nouns, such as factor,

situation, and area, lead to obscure writing.– Vague: A college education is an

important factor in finding a job in the area of accounting.

– Better: For accounting jobs, a college degree is important.

What’s a noun string?– A noun string is a term for a series of nouns

or other words, all of which modify the final noun. For example, in the noun string “U.S. energy consumption” the nouns "U.S." and "energy" modify the final noun "consumption.“

– To make long noun strings easier to understand, restore the missing prepositions to show the relationship between the words and convert the noun that hides the key action to a verb. Often, the string can be shortened by removing unnecessary words as well.

Fixing noun strings– Here are some examples of noun strings

and how they can be improved in the name of clarity:

Source: Wikipedia

Poor ImprovedMunicipal Solid Waste Classification Methodology

Methodology for Classifying Municipal Solid Waste

Scanner Head Motion Control Arm[1]

Arm for Controlling the Motion of the Scanner Head

Underground Mine Worker Safety Protection Procedures[2]

Procedures for Protecting the Safety of Mine Workers

Writing for clarity requires a ruthless editing of your work; when it’s finished, walk away from your composition for a few hours and approach it with new eyes. Then cut the unnecessary, rewrite the clumsy, and leave out the parts you think nobody will read anyway.