Shorten and clarify vague writing using precise verbs.
Hook introducing words for shortening and clarifying.
Why use fifty words when fifteen will do the trick? In academic writing, longer doesn't always mean better. Good writing is about being direct. If your sentences are filled with fluff, your main point gets lost.
To upgrade your writing, you need to master three actions: shorten your phrasing, simplify your vocabulary, and make clear your core message.
Explanation of focus words related to condensing and clarifying.
To follow instructions on exams (and write better essays), you need to know exactly what different command words mean.
Let's break down the academic verbs that help you clean up messy writing.
Visual showing a messy paragraph becoming a clean summary.
Condensing writing untangles messy thoughts into clear, direct ideas.
Formalizing the progression of clarity words.
These images show how to make your writing and thinking clean and exact, helping you cut out extra words and focus on what is important.
Condense: To condense means to squeeze a lot of information into a much smaller space. The doodle shows a man pressing a huge, fluffy cloud down into a tiny, solid bead.
Summarise: This means to take a large amount of text and pull out only the main points. The woman looks at a giant stack of books and holds up a single small sticky note that explains them all.
Simplify: This means to untangle a confusing mess so it is easy to handle. The woman pulls a single, straight green line out of a huge, messy knot of rope.
Clarify: This means to clear away dirt or confusion so you can see the truth easily. The man wipes a dirty window pane with a cloth to create a clean, see-through circle.
Specify: To specify means to point out one exact item from a large group. The man reaches past a long row of identical bowls to choose one specific bowl with his ladle.
Define: This means to draw a clear boundary around an object to explain exactly what it is. The woman draws a sharp red circle on the ground around a strange rock to separate it from everything else.
Distinguish: This means to notice the small differences between two things that look similar. The man holds a real apple in one hand while using a magnifying glass to look for the tiny differences in a drawn apple.
Streamline: This means to remove useless parts so something can move much faster and smoother. The man drops a pile of heavy, odd-shaped junk so he can focus on a sleek, fast rocket ship.
Practice choosing the correct clarity verb in context.
To meet the strict word limit for the science assignment, the student had to her ten-page draft into a brief report. The teacher asked the class to the main events of the historical period in a single concluding paragraph. Because the initial instructions were somewhat confusing, the students asked the professor to the grading criteria before the final exam. When writing the methodology section for your chemistry project, you must the exact measurements and quantities of the chemicals used. Using these precise academic verbs will significantly the clarity and overall quality of your school essays.
Learner makes a vague, wordy sentence clearer and shorter.
Original Wordy Paragraph: "Due to the fact that it was raining heavily outside, we made the decision to stay inside the house. The reason for this is because we did not want to get our clothes completely soaked by the water. At a later point in time, we will attempt to go outside when the weather is better."
What is the single most important fact happening in the paragraph?
Combine the core facts into one sentence. Cut out phrase like 'Due to the fact that'.