This resource is designed for English Language Learners (ELLs) who require assistance in a particular academic skill. Each handout provides brief explanations related to different core skills (reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking), and it offers some simple examples of mistakes and how these might be corrected.
While these handouts are designed primarily for ELL students, anyone seeking to improve their writing may find these documents useful. Check out the links at the end of the handout for more resources.
What is wordiness?
Good academic writing is clear and direct.
You can write clearly and concisely by:
- expressing your ideas in the simplest way
- using the fewest words as necessary It is completely normal if your first draft is wordy.
Take the time to revise your work and eliminate the wordiness.
Seven strategies to reduce wordiness
1. Eliminate redundancy
Are you repeating the same ideas? Are you using a larger phrase that could be shortened? Here are ten examples of redundant phrases and how they can be fixed.
| Redundant | Revised |
|---|---|
| Free gift | Gift |
| During the course of | During |
| Due to the fact that | Because |
| With the exception of | Except |
| First priority | Priority |
| Still remain | Remain |
| Red in colour | Red |
| In order to | To |
| In spite of the fact that | Although |
| Big in size | Big |
2. Omit “There is/are…” and “It is…” phrases
You do not need those words. See how these three examples eliminate those words but keep the original meanings of the sentences.
For example, instead of writing:
- There is a teacher who works as a volunteer for her community.
- There are many people who play sports.
- It is the rent that is unaffordable in the city.
Try writing:
- A teacher works as a volunteer for her community.
- Many people play sports.
- The rent is unaffordable in the city.
In the above examples, the phrase “There is/are…” or “It is…” is unnecessary. The revised versions are more concise.
3. Avoid nominalization
Definition
Nominalization refers to using verbs in their noun forms. Nominalization results in wordiness.
- Instead of writing: The improvement in students’ reading skills was made.
- Try writing: Students’ reading skills were improved.
Above, you can reduce the nominalization “The improvement in” (three words) to one word “improved.”
4. Use the active voice
Definition
In the active voice, the subject of the sentence takes action, while in the passive voice the subject of the sentence receives the action.
Write in the active voice. The active voice uses fewer words than the passive voice and is easier to understand.
Before you use the active voice, check your assignment guidelines and the goal of your sentence. If your subject “acts,” use the active voice; if the subject is “acted upon,” use the passive voice.
5. Replace prepositional verbs with verbs that do not need prepositions
| Wordy | Revised |
|---|---|
| Ask for | Request |
| Find out | Determine |
| Long for | Anticipate |
6. Avoid overusing qualifiers
Definition
The qualifier is a word or a phrase that is added to another word to modify its meaning, either by limiting it (She was somewhat angry) or by enhancing it (The baby is very cute). Qualifiers include words such as really, extremely, very, and absolutely.
Qualifiers are empty words that weaken your writing. Remove them from your writing.
- Instead of writing: His friend was extremely furious.
- Try writing: His friend was furious.
Trim the unnecessary qualifier “extremely” in this example to achieve conciseness.
7. Delete prepositional phrases
- Instead of writing: the findings of those scientists
- Try writing: those scientists’ findings
The revised version does not include any preposition and is more concise.
- Instead of writing: the advantages of the daughter of the owner of the house
- Try writing: the advantages of the house owner’s daughter
This revised phrase only contains one preposition “of” and reads more fluently.
Practice Exercises
1. Delete redundancy:
The store offers complimentary gift wrapping at no charge to its customers.
2. Delete redundancy:
Due to the fact that the teaching assistant was sick, the tutorial was cancelled.
3. Omit the phrase “There is/are…”:
There are twenty students who have submitted their assignments.
4. Omit the phrase “It is…”:
It is Jack who cleans the room every week.
5. Avoid nominalization:
The researcher will perform an evaluation of the design.
6. Use active voice:
The growth of economy is influenced by technological development.
7. Replace the prepositional verb with a single word:
Jerry longed for a vacation.
8. Remove the unnecessary qualifier:
The issue has become very controversial.
9. Delete the prepositional phrase:
The reason for the failure of his final exam was that he had a high fever on the exam day.
10. Delete the prepositional phrase:
The blood pressure of the mouse was elevated.
Answers
1. The store offers complimentary gift wrapping to its customers.
2. Because the teaching assistant was sick, the tutorial was cancelled.
3. Twenty students have submitted their assignments.
4. Jack cleans the room every week.
5. The researcher will evaluate the design.
6. Technological development influences the growth of economy.
7. Jerry anticipated a vacation.
8. The issue has become controversial.
9. He failed the exam because he had a high fever on the exam day.
10.The mouse’s blood pressure was elevated.
More resources for wordiness
Wordiness: Danger signals and how to react – UofT Writing Advice
Attend the Professional English Language Skills (PELS) workshops