【Fundamental Course of Writtng】基础写作每日一讲（12）Conciseness

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1. Eliminate unnecessary determiners and modifiers

Writers sometimes clog up their prose with one or more extra words or phrases that seem to determine narrowly or to modify the meaning of a noun but don't actually add to the meaning of the sentence. Although such words and phrases can be meaningful in the appropriate context, they are often used as "filler" and can easily be eliminated.

Here's a list of some words and phrases that can often be pruned away to make sentences clearer:

kind of sort of type of really basically for all intents and purposes

definitely actually generally individual specific particular

句子写的冗长复杂并不能体现你的写作水平高，相反，简洁明了得体地表达意思才是我们应当追求的~所以，在以后的写作中那些“假大空”就不要再说了！

2. Change phrases into single words

Using phrases to convey meaning that could be presented in a single word contributes to wordiness. Convert phrases into single words when possible.

As you carefully read what you have written to improve your wording and catch small errors of spelling, punctuation, and so on, the thing to do before you do anything else is to try to see where a series of words expressing action could replace the ideas found in nouns rather than verbs. 很多时候名词不仅比那些动词词组更简洁，并且更能准确的传达思想~

3. Change unnecessary that, who, and which clauses into phrases

Using a clause to convey meaning that could be presented in a phrase or even a word contributes to wordiness. Convert modifying clauses into phrases or single words when possible.

that/who/which+do/does/did=现在分词

that/who/which+be=过去分词

4. Avoid overusing expletives at the beginning of sentences

Expletives are phrases of the form it + be-verb or there + be-verb. Such expressions can be rhetorically effective for emphasis in some situations, but overuse or unnecessary use of expletive constructions creates wordy prose.

Still, you should generally avoid excessive or unnecessary use of expletives. The most common kind of unnecessary expletive construction involves an expletive followed by a noun and a relative clause beginning with that, which, or who.

5. Use active rather than passive verbs

大概是主动更顺表达意思更直观~

6. Avoid overusing noun forms of verbs

Use verbs when possible rather than noun forms known as nominalizations. Sentences with many nominalizations usually have forms of be as the main verbs. Using the action verbs disguised in nominalizations as the main verbs--instead of forms of be--can help to create engaging rather than dull prose.

7. Reword unnecessary infinitive phrases

Some infinitive phrases can be converted into finite verbs or brief noun phrases. Making such changes also often results in the replacement of a be-verb with an action verb.

8. Replace circumlocutions with direct expressions

因为中国人的说话习惯，我们更容易用比较迂回的方式来表达观点~但是老外毕竟比我们直肠子，而且GRE作文又作为议论文，我们应当摒弃那些迂回的写作方式用更直白的方式来表达~

Here are some other common circumlocutions that can be compressed into just one word:这表很好很强大！！！

the reason for for the reason that owing/due to the fact that in light of the fact that considering the fact that on the grounds that this is why	=because, since, why
on the occasion of in a situation in which under circumstances in which	=when
as regards in reference to with regard to concerning the matter of where ________ is concerned	=about
it is crucial that it is necessary that there is a need/necessity for it is important that cannot be avoided	=must, should
is able to has the opportunity to has the capacity for has the ability to	=can
it is possible that there is a chance that it could happen that the possibility exists for	=may, might, could

9. Omit words that explain the obvious or provide excessive detail

Be sure always to consider your readers as you draft and revise your writing. If you find passages that explain or describe in detail what would already be obvious to readers, delete or reword them.

我写文章的时候特别特别特别的容易在这一点上出差错~字数虽能写的还不错但是好多话是废话~太obvious的话看起来就有点儿弱智了~而且在thesis那一讲就已经学到，我们应当就值得讨论的话题展开讨论，抠明显的成文的观点显然意义不大~

10. Omit repetitive wording

Redundant Categories

Specific words imply their general categories, so we usually don't have to state both. We know that a period is a segment of time, that pink is a color, that shiny is an appearance. In each of the following phrases, the general category term can be dropped, leaving just the specific descriptive word:

large in size often times of a bright color heavy in weight period in time round in shape at an early time economics field

of cheap quality honest in character of an uncertain condition in a confused state unusual in nature extreme in degree of a strange type

Be concise！真的是我特别需要牢牢铭记的一点，写出的一些长长的篇幅往往只表达了一两句话就能表达出来的意思，很没意义~

毕竟AW不是考查你的同意变换能力，思想，思想，思想！！！