Puerto Rico Needs Your Help! Here's How
United
for Puerto Rico (spearheaded by the First Lady of Puerto Rico)
Former
U.S. presidents have expanded their One America Appeal to include recovery
efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Save the Children, which focuses
specifically on the needs of families and their children.
Global Giving has a $2 million goal for
victims of Hurricane Maria
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
====================================================
Tips to Cut
the Clutter in Writing
by Richard Nordquist from thoughtco.com
Updated October 19, 2017
"Clutter is the disease of American writing," says
William Zinsser in his classic text On Writing Well. "We are a
society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous
frills, and meaningless jargon."
We can cure the disease of clutter (at least in our own
compositions) by following a simple rule: don't waste words. When revising and editing, we should aim to cut out any
language that is vague, repetitious, or pretentious.
In other words, clear out the deadwood, be concise, and get
to the point!
01
of 05
Reduce Long Clauses
When editing, try to reduce long clauses to shorter phrases:
Wordy: The clown who was in the center ring was riding a tricycle.
Revised: The clown in the center ring was riding a tricycle.
Wordy: The clown who was in the center ring was riding a tricycle.
Revised: The clown in the center ring was riding a tricycle.
02
of 05
Reduce Phrases
Likewise, try to reduce phrases to single words:
Wordy:
The clown at the end of the line tried to sweep up the spotlight.
Revised: The last clown tried to sweep up the spotlight.
Revised: The last clown tried to sweep up the spotlight.
03
of 05
Avoid Empty Openers
Avoid There is, There are, and There were
as sentence openers when There adds nothing to the meaning of a
sentence:
Wordy:
There is a prize in every box of Quacko cereal.
Revised: A prize is in every box of Quacko cereal.
Revised: A prize is in every box of Quacko cereal.
Wordy:
There are two security guards at the gate.
Revised: Two security guards stand at the gate.
Revised: Two security guards stand at the gate.
04
of 05
Don't Overwork Modifiers
Do not overwork very, really, totally,
and other modifiers that add little or nothing to the
meaning of a sentence.
Wordy:
By the time she got home, Merdine was very tired.
Revised: By the time she got home, Merdine was exhausted.
Revised: By the time she got home, Merdine was exhausted.
Wordy:
She was also really hungry.
Revised: She was also hungry [or famished].
Revised: She was also hungry [or famished].
More About Modifiers:
- What Is an Intensifier?
- Adding Adjectives and Adverbs to the Basic Sentence Unit
- What Is an Epithet?
05
of 05
Avoid Redundancies
Replace redundant expressions (phrases that use more words
than necessary to make a point) with precise words. Check out this list of common redundancies, and remember: needless
words are those that add nothing (or nothing significant) to the meaning of our
writing. They bore the reader and distract from our ideas. So cut them out!
Wordy:
At this point in time, we should edit our work.
Revised: Now we should edit our work.
================================================Revised: Now we should edit our work.
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In addition to this blog, Netiquette IQ has a website with great assets which are being added to on a regular basis. I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, “Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". My new book, “You’re Hired! Super Charge Your Email Skills in 60 Minutes. . . And Get That Job!” has just been published and will be followed by a trilogy of books on Netiquette for young people. You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
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Over the past twenty-five years, I have enjoyed a dynamic and successful career and have attained an extensive background in IT and electronic communications by selling and marketing within the information technology marketplace.
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