How to Write Great Essays

WORD CHOICES FOR CONCISE WRITING
Wordy
Replace with
a lot of
many
or 
much
all of a sudden
suddenly
along the lines of
like
are able to
can
as a matter of fact
in fact
or Delete
as a person
Delete
as a whole
Delete
as the case may be
Delete
at the present time
currently
or 
now
both of these
both

---

HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
CHAPTER 2
Clarity
16
by and large
Delete
by definition
Delete
due to the fact that
because
for all intents and purposes
Delete
has a tendency to
often
or Delete
has the ability to
can
in order to
to
in the event that
if
in the near future
soon
is able to
can
it is clear that
Delete
last but not least
finally
on a daily basis
daily
on account of the fact that
because
particular
Delete
somewhere in the neighborhood of
about
take action
act
the fact that
that
or Delete
the majority of
most
the reason why
the reason
or 
why
through the use of
through
with regard to
about 
or 
regarding
with the exception of
except for
W
O R D Y A N D
C
O N C I S E
S
E N T E N C E S
Wordy:
The students were given detention on account of the fact that they
didn’t show up for class.
Concise: 
The students were given detention because they didn’t show up for
class.
Wordy:
Everyone who has the ability to donate time to a charity should do so.
Concise: 
Everyone who can donate time to a charity should.
Wordy:
In a situation in which a replacement for the guidance counselor who
is retiring is found, it is important that our student committee be notified.
Concise:
When a replacement for the retiring guidance counselor is found,
our student committee must be notified.
16

---

Clarity
CHAPTER 2 
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
17
A
V O I D
U
N N E C E S S A R Y
R
E P E T I T I O N
There are a number of reasons why you should eliminate the repetition of ideas and infor-
mation in your essay. The first is that unnecessary repetition is a sign of sloppy writing. It’s
easy to say the same thing a number of times, varying it slightly each time. It’s harder to say
something well once, and continue writing about your next idea or example. Second, wordi-
ness wastes valuable time and space. If you are writing while the clock is ticking, or are lim-
ited to a number of words or pages, say it right the first time and move on.
Example:
Wordy: 
They met at 4 
P
.
M
. in the afternoon.
Concise:
They met at 4 
P
.
M
.
P
.
M
.
means in the afternoon, so there’s no reason to say 
in the afternoon
. It’s a waste of
words and the reader’s time.
Even in short phrases there can be repetition. The list that follows contains dozens of
such phrases that can clutter your essay. Most of them contain a specific word and its more
general category. But why state both? The word “memories” can only refer to the past, so
you don’t need to say “past memories.” We know that blue is a color, so describing some-
thing as “blue in color” is repetitive and therefore unnecessary. In most cases, you can cor-
rect the redundant phrase by dropping the category and retaining the specific word.
Some of the phrases use a modifier that is unneeded, because the specific is implied in
the general. For instance, the word “consensus” means general agreement. Therefore, mod-
ifying it with the word “general” is repetitive. Similarly, “mathematics” is a field of study, so
it does not need to be modified with the word “field.” You can tighten up your writing, say-
ing it well one time, by eliminating wordiness.
TRY THIS!
As you read the list, jot down those you know you use on a separate sheet of paper.
Write next to each phrase on your list the correction of that phrase, along with a cou-
ple of sentences using it correctly. This technique will help you retain the information
better.

---