Writing Tip–Avoid Needless Words

October 12, 2009 by Chris
Filed under: Writing Tip

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Today’s writing tip addresses how to tighten your writing. You’ve probably seen the advice about tightening your writing. It’s almost cliche’. The key is simple: lose the useless words. Once you learn to spot them, it becomes easier. Let’s look at some examples.

The truck that George owned –>George’s truck
I do not like liver. –>I dislike liver.
I liked him immensely. –>I adored him.
The crowd laughed hysterically. –>The crowd roared.

A general rule of thumb is to look at the verb-adverb combination. What verb describes this action? Of is also a watch word. Of something can often be substituted with a possessive. The result is a stronger statement. It is an active statement.

Can you see a pattern? Removing needless words leads to tighter writing, which leads to active writing. A more defined picture is created. The more you write, the more you will see. Knowing the traps can lead to stronger writing.

Tags: Writing Tip

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