Sciwrite:Cutting the clutter
The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that's already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what - these are thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence. And they usually occur in proportion to the education and rank.-- William Zinsser inOn Writing Well, 1976
Be vigilant and ruthless. After investing much effort to put words on a page, we often find it hard to part with them. Try the sentence without the extra words and see how it's better -- conveys the same idea with more power.
Contents[hide]
· 1Sources of common clutter
o 1.1Dead weight words and phrases
o 1.2Empty words and phrases
o 1.3Long words and phrases that could be short
o 1.4Unnecessary jargon and acronyms
o 1.5Repetitive words or phrases
o 1.6Adverbs
o 1.7Eliminate negatives
o 1.8Eliminate superfluous uses of "there are / there is"
o 1.9Omit needless prepositions.
Sources of common clutter
Dead weight words and phrases
§ As it is well known (just add references)
§ As it has been shown (just add references)
§ It can be regarded that
§ It should be emphasized that
Empty words and phrases
§ basic tenets of
§ methodology
§ important
Long words and phrases that could be short
§ a majority of -> much
§ a number of -> many
§ give raise to -> cause
§ due to the fact that -> because
§ based on the assumption that -> if
Unnecessary jargon and acronyms
Repetitive words or phrases
§ studies/examples
§ illustrate/demonstrate
§ challenges/difficulties
§ successful solutions
Adverbs
§ very, really, quite, basically, generally...
Eliminate negatives
§ She was not often right -> She was usually wrong
§ They did not believe the drug was harmful -> They believed the drug was safe
§ Does not have -> Lacks
Eliminate superfluous uses of "there are / there is"
§ There are many ways in which we can arrange the pulleys -> We can arrange the pulleys in many ways.
§ There was a long line of bacteria on the plate -> Bacteria lined the plate.
§ There are many physicists who like to write. -> Many physicists like to write.
§ The data confirm that there is an association between... -> The data confirm an association between...
Omit needless prepositions.
§ They agreed that it was true -> They agreed it was true.
Unit 1 Homework
Principio del formulario
Complete the following exercises, making sure to use correct spelling and punctuation on each answer. You will be graded only on completion. After you submit the quiz, you will be able to compare your answer with a "model answer". Keep in mind that more than one answer may be acceptable.
For the more challenging editing exercises (questions 14 to 16), use your best judgment to infer the author’s intent. To make editing easier, look up technical terms that are unfamiliar to you.
Question 1
Rewrite this sentence to remove the "dead-weight phrase":
It has been found that most people consider buying a house the largest purchase they can ever make.
Answer for Question 1
Question 2
Give a short word that means the same thing as: “at the present moment”.
Answer for Question 2
Question 3
Give a short word that means the same thing as: “utilize”.
Answer for Question 3
Question 4
Give a short word that means the same thing as: “assuming that”
Answer for Question 4
Question 5
Give a short word that means the same thing as: “in order to”.
Answer for Question 5
Question 6
Give a short word that means the same thing as: “until such time as”.
Answer for Question 6
Question 7
Give a short word that means the same thing as: “has no”.
Answer for Question 7
Question 8
Rewrite the following sentence to remove the phrase “there are”:
There are many studies that have shown that Lactobacillus species may have protective and antimicrobial properties.
Answer for Question 8
Question 9
Rewrite the following sentence to remove the “not”:
She was not a good student.
Answer for Question 9
Question 10
Rewrite the following sentence to remove the “not”:
She could not remember where she put her keys.
Answer for Question 10
Question 11
Rewrite the following sentence to remove repetition:
The man began to behave strangely and in odd ways after he started taking the drug.
Answer for Question 11
Question 12
Rewrite the following sentence for brevity:
Chemistry majors are generally a very creative and highly energetic group.
Answer for Question 12
Question 13
Rewrite the following sentence for brevity:
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the basic principles of quantum physics.
Answer for Question 13
Question 14
Revise the following sentence for clarity and brevity:
One example of laser interferometry in action is it can be used for the measurement of the drift of a micro cantilever over time.
Answer for Question 14
Question 15
Revise the following sentence for clarity and brevity:
Many women with BRCA mutations take prophylactic steps towards reducing their risk of ever getting the cancer because early detection is not perfect.
Answer for Question 15
Question 16
Revise the following sentence for clarity and brevity:
Finally, it may be argued that, with fuller charts than the Daily Weather Reports and better forecasting, much better results might be obtained, and while this is to a certain extent true, it is feared that the improvement would not be great.
Answer for Question 16
Final del formulario