Cut-Cut-Cut: Smile at Eliminating Those Superfluous Words

 

Cutting superfluous words from your texts might make you cringe at first. Then you’ll be sad at parting with some of your “darlings”, those words you think the writing just can’t do without. Next you’ll become serene when you see the logic of it, and even happy at the realization that your message will benefit. When you reread your text, you’ll grin from ear to ear at the result. So go ahead: cut-cut-cut-cut-cut!

 

Eliminate:

I can assure you that

it goes without saying that

for the sake of discussion

 

Reduce:

to make a stop at

has a tendency to   tends to

predicated on the fact that   based on

 

Reduce to one word:

all throughout

completely full

rather dull

bits and pieces

one and only

in combination with

firm commitment

 

Substitute with one word:

eat very fast   gulp

decrease in strength  weaken

in all cases   always

take advantage of   exploit

call attention to the fact that   remind

have the ability to    can

in actual fact    actually

• Posted by:

  Fabienne Stassen on 3 July 2017

• Category: Superfluous Words
• Tag: cut, eliminate, message, reduce, substitute, superfluous, text, words