29 Conciseness

If you have a Twitter account, you know a lot about being concise—that is, about getting messages across without wasting words (Twitter limits writers to 140 characters). Recently, New York Times editor Bill Keller decided to start a discussion by tweeting, “Twitter makes you stupid. Discuss.” That little comment drew a large number of responses, including one from his wife that read, “I don’t know if Twitter makes you stupid, but it’s making you late for dinner. Come home.”

No matter how you feel about the effects of Twitter on the brain (or stomach!), you can make any writing more effective by using clear structures and choosing words that convey exactly what you mean to say.

Editing for Conciseness

AT A GLANCE

  • Look for redundant words. If you are unsure about a word, read the sentence without it; if meaning is not affected, leave the word out. (29a and b)
  • Take out empty words—words like aspect or factor, definitely or very. (29c)
  • Replace wordy phrases with a single word. Instead of because of the fact that, try because. (29d)
  • Reconsider any sentences that begin with it is or there is/are. Unless they create special emphasis, try recasting the sentences without these words. (29e)