What does wordiness mean? Wordiness means using more words than necessary within a sentence, especially short, vague words that do not add much meaning . Wordy sentences are often indirect; their subject and verb do not express the main focus of the sentence.
What is an example of wordiness?
Wordy: Due to the fact that class is cancelled, we will postpone the quiz . Better: Because class is cancelled, we will postpone the quiz. Wordy: In spite of the fact that I am failing, I have enjoyed the class.
Is wordiness a real word?
Adjective: wordy. Contrast with conciseness, directness, and clarity. Wordiness, says Robert Hartwell Fiske, is “arguably the biggest obstacle to clear writing and speaking” (101 Wordy Phrases, 2005).
What do you mean by wordy?
adjective. If you describe a person’s speech or something that they write as wordy, you disapprove of the fact that they use too many words, especially words which are very long, formal, or literary . [disapproval]
What is wordy writing called?
Logorrhea or logorrhoea (from Greek λογόρροια, logorrhoia, “word-flux”) is an excessive flow of words. It is often used pejoratively to describe prose that is hard to understand because it is needlessly complicated or uses excessive jargon.
How do you identify wordiness?
- Eliminate redundant pairs. ...
- Delete unnecessary qualifiers. ...
- Identify and reduce prepositional phrases. ...
- Locate and delete unnecessary modifiers. ...
- Replace a phrase with a word. ...
- Identify negatives and change them to affirmatives. ...
- Think about your argument. ...
- Think about your audience.
What is an example sentence?
An “example sentence” is a sentence written to demonstrate usage of a particular word in context . An example sentence is invented by its writer to show how to use a particular word properly in writing. Such examples are placed following a given definition, to make it clear which definition they illustrate.
What’s another word for too wordy?
Some common synonyms of wordy are diffuse, prolix, and verbose . While all these words mean “using more words than necessary to express thought,” wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.
How do I get rid of wordiness?
- Use the Key Noun. ...
- Use Active Voice Rather Than Passive Voice Verbs. ...
- Avoid Unnecessary Language. ...
- Use Nouns Rather Than Vague Pronouns as Subjects. ...
- Use Verbs Rather Than Nouns to Express Action. ...
- Avoid a String of Prepositional Phrases.
What are the causes of wordiness?
Excessive use of the passive voice, excessive nominalization, unnecessary repetition, and unnecessary words and phrases are some common causes of wordy writing.
How do you pronounce wordiness?
Which of the following means wordiness?
wordy, verbose, prolix, diffuse mean using more words than necessary to express thought . wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity. a wordy speech verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.
How do you reduce wordiness in writing?
- Eliminate redundancy. ...
- Strike out excess adjectives. ...
- Strike out redundant adverbs. ...
- Compress adverb clauses into participial phrases. ...
- Compress relative clauses to participial phrases. ...
- Change verb phrases to single active verbs. ...
- Get rid of intensifiers.
How do you write a clear sentence?
- Be Clear About Your Meaning. ...
- Eliminate Unnecessary Words and Phrases. ...
- Use the Active Voice. ...
- Get Rid of That. ...
- Avoid Starting with There Is. ...
- Reduce Unneeded Repetition. ...
- Question the Use of Really. ...
- Move Away from Negatives.
What are sentences 5 examples?
- Joe waited for the train. “Joe” = subject, “waited” = verb.
- The train was late. ...
- Mary and Samantha took the bus. ...
- I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station. ...
- Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station early but waited until noon for the bus.
What is 10 examples of sentences?
- Mary enjoys cooking.
- She likes bananas.
- They speak English at work.
- The train does not leave at 12 AM.
- I have no money at the moment.
- Do they talk a lot ?
- Does she drink coffee?
- You run to the party.
Can a sentence be 3 words?
Some sentences can be very short, with only two or three words expressing a complete thought , like this: They waited. This sentence has a subject (They) and a verb (waited), and it expresses a complete thought.
Why is it important to eliminate wordiness?
Eliminating Wordiness Improves Clarity
Wordiness can sneak into your paper without you even realizing it. When we draft, we often write how we think or speak. These extra words, however, need to be eliminated in academic writing in order to improve clarity.
How do you break down wordy in a sentence?
- Don’t Lose Focus. ...
- Remove Unnecessary Words. ...
- Stay Active. ...
- Reverse Nominalizations. ...
- Get Rid of Repetition. ...
- Use the Magic Number. ...
- Avoid Adverbs and Qualifiers. ...
- Place More Periods and Paragraphs.
What is the best way to revise the sentence to reduce wordiness?
Which strategy is the best way to improve clarity in a wordy sentence? Use fewer powerful words . Avoid using adverbs. Eliminate redundancies.
What is a running sentence?
A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete sentences) are connected improperly . Example: I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.
What means worldliness?
Definitions of worldliness. the quality or character of being intellectually sophisticated and worldly through cultivation or experience or disillusionment . synonyms: mundaneness, mundanity, sophistication. Antonyms: naiveness, naivete, naivety.
Which words or phrases can cause unnecessary wordiness in writing?
Introductory words such as “basically” or “truly.” These don’t really add anything to your writing and thus get cut. Qualifiers such as “very”, “really,” and “quite.” These don’t add anything either. They’re too vague and easily replaced by better words. Take “I’m really hungry,” for example.
What are unnecessary words?
A word which adds nothing extra to a sentence is called a pleonasm.
Which is more direct and concise active voice or passive voice?
Sentences in active voice are also more concise than those in passive voice because fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.
How many words should be in the typical paragraph of a business communication?
Typically, paragraphs in business messages should contain 40 to 80 words . For routine messages, paragraphs as short as 20 to 30 words are common and appropriate. Rarely should paragraphs exceed 150 words.
Which is more direct and concise active or passive?
Use the active voice as much as possible to create direct, clear, and concise sentences, especially when you are writing about the actions of people. Use the passive voice when it is more important to focus on the recipient of an action than on who performed the action, such as when describing an experimental setup.
Which of the following means wordiness?
wordy, verbose, prolix, diffuse mean using more words than necessary to express thought . wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity. a wordy speech verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.
What is an example of a concise sentence?
I saw them with my own eyes. To make this sentence more concise, and therefore, more effective, remove the redundant words “with my own eyes.” There are UFOs on the outside of town. I saw them.
What is redundancy and examples?
Redundancy is when we use two or more words together that mean the same thing , for example, ‘adequate enough’. We also say something is redundant when a modifier’s meaning is contained in the word it modifies, for example, ‘merge together’.
What causes wordiness?
Excessive use of the passive voice, excessive nominalization, unnecessary repetition, and unnecessary words and phrases are some common causes of wordy writing.
