Good writing gets to the point quickly and uses concise, well-worded sentences to communicate ideas. By integrating the following three simple strategies into your writing, your prose will be tighter and easier to read.

Strategy 1: Avoid filler phrases such as it is, there is, there are and I am writing this email to tell/ask you Instead, use the true subject and verb at the beginning of a sentence.

Wordy: There are several important documents that will require your analysis.

Revised: Several important documents will require your analysis.

Wordy: It is a company policy that all new hires take a training session.

Revised: Company policy requires all new hires to take a training session.

Wordy: I am writing this email to ask you a few specific questions about your services.

Revised: I have a few specific questions to ask about your services.

Strategy 2: Use one-word modifiers to replace prepositional phrases.

Wordy: The assistant to the director is on maternity leave.

Revised: The directors assistant is on maternity leave.

Strategy 3: Combine related sentences by omitting repetitive phrasing.

Wordy: The committee oversees accounting procedures and audits. The

committee meets monthly.

Revised: The committee meets monthly to oversee accounting procedures and audits.

Revise the following sentences by eliminating unnecessary words. Use the strategy indicated.

Example

1. It is difficult to land internships, but they offer a good way to break into a field. (Strategy 1)

Internships are difficult to land, but they offer a good way to break into a field.

1. The appraiser of real estate found a net loss in home values of 25 percent. (Strategy 2)

1. Customer feedback suggests we have a problem with the return policy. The return policy can be difficult to understand. (Strategy 3)

1. By developing new applications, there is an opportunity to reach new markets. (Strategy 1)

1. Silicon Valley is home to some of the words biggest venture capitalist firms. Many Silicon Valley venture capitalists are looking to invest in green industries. (Strategy 3)

1. A team from Montreal won the contract. (Strategy 2)

1. There are several good reasons for not sending personal messages from a work computer including wasting time and disobeying company policy. (Strategy 1)

1. The data about the economy did not indicate any improvements in the housing sector. (Strategy 2)

1. Our software provides users with additional capabilities. Some of the capabilities our software now provides are checking the weather, watching videos, and playing games. (Strategy 3)

1. There are going to be many opportunities to secure new business contacts at the convention. (Strategy 1)

1. The winning proposal blended ideas from teams around the world. The teams were from Austria, Canada, and Greenland. (Strategy 3)

1. The message from the HR director clearly stated that no employee could take a vacation during the holiday season. (Strategy 2)

1. Although there are two people conducting interviews, only one will make the final decision. (Strategy 1)

I am writing this email to tell you that no class will be held on Presidents Day Holiday. (Strategy 1)

1. The technical team must consider various factors affecting the software. Different factors are the learning curve and user interface. (Strategy 3)