SAT Mc Graw Hill 2011

454 McGRAW-HILL’S SAT

Lesson 9: Write Concisely

Eliminate Wordiness

The fewer words you can use to convey an idea, the better.You won’t impress readers by making them work hard

or by confusing them. When you use wordy or unnatural language, a good reader will think that you don’t

have command over your words, or that you’re stalling because you don’t have anything interesting to say.

Sometimes even good writers can get ambushed by prepositional phrases. Like most things, prepositional

phrases are fine in moderation. But too many—particularly when they are strung together—make a sen-

tence wordy and unclear.

Avoid wordy phrases like those below. Use the concise versions.

Eliminate any word or phrase that conveys an idea already stated or implied in the sentence.

Wordy: Courage is a value that is very difficult to be found in and among individuals in the world today,

even though it is clearly something that nearly everyone of every persuasion and creed finds to be

an extremely important and valuable element of human morality.

Better: Courage today is rare, and so all the more precious.

Wordy Concise Wordy Concise

has a reaction reacts in the event that if

has a dependence on depends regardless of the fact that although

provides enforcement enforces in our world today today

is in violation of violates in this day and age today

has knowledge of knows being that because

achieves the maximization of maximizes due to the fact that because

provides opposition to opposes at this point in time now

is reflective of reflects at the present moment now

give consideration to consider are aware of the fact know

lend assistance to assist make contact with contact

Watch Your Prepositional Phrases

Wordy: Few people in the media recognize their responsibility to the public for writing fair and unbiased

pieces for the sake of expanding their readers’ trust in their representations of the world around

them.(seven prepositional phrases)

Better: Few journalists understand that they must sustain scrupulous impartiality in order to maintain

the trust of their readers.(one prepositional phrase)

Avoid Redundancy

Redundant:We are now serving breakfastat this time.

Better: We are now serving breakfast.

Redundant:The best elements of her previous works were combinedtogetherin this symphony.

Right: The best elements of her previous works were combined in this symphony.

Redundant:They could always rely on him to tell thehonesttruth.

Right: They could always rely on him to tell the truth.