Clarity and concision
Clear writing respects readers' time. Concise writing says what it needs to in as few words as the meaning allows.
Clarity first
Clear writing lets readers understand your meaning on the first read. It uses precise words, logical sentence structure, and concrete examples. Unclear writing often comes from unclear thinking, so sometimes the fix is to work out exactly what you mean.
Characters and actions
Joseph Williams, in his book Style, advised making the main characters of a sentence its subjects and their actions its verbs. 'The committee's evaluation of the proposal occurred' becomes 'The committee evaluated the proposal.' Hidden actions in nouns ('evaluation', 'decision') make writing heavy.
Nominalisations
Nominalisations are verbs or adjectives turned into nouns: decide becomes decision, fail becomes failure, careful becomes carefulness. Some are useful, but piling them up creates abstract, wordy sentences. Turning them back into verbs usually makes sentences shorter and more direct.
Cutting wordiness
Cut redundancy ('past history', 'end result', 'each and every'), empty phrases ('due to the fact that' becomes 'because'; 'in order to' becomes 'to'; 'at this point in time' becomes 'now'), and unnecessary qualifiers ('very', 'really', 'quite', 'basically').
Expletive constructions
Sentences beginning 'There is', 'There are', or 'It is' delay the real subject. 'There are many students who struggle with debt' becomes 'Many students struggle with debt.' Use expletives occasionally for emphasis, but not by habit.
Active and passive voice
In active voice, the subject performs the action: 'The researchers tested the drug.' In passive voice, the subject receives it: 'The drug was tested (by the researchers).' Active voice is usually clearer and more direct. Passive voice is useful when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately emphasised less, as in some scientific writing.
Plain language
Plain language means choosing familiar words over jargon when possible: 'use' instead of 'utilise', 'help' instead of 'facilitate'. Many governments, including the United States under the Plain Writing Act of 2010, require plain language in public documents so citizens can understand them.
Worked example
Wordy: 'Due to the fact that there was a lack of adequate funding, the implementation of the programme was delayed by the city council.' Concise: 'Because the city council lacked funding, it delayed the programme.' The revision is about half as long, uses active voice, and turns 'implementation' into a clearer action.
Key takeaways
Clarity comes from precise thinking and words. Make characters subjects and actions verbs. Unpack nominalisations into verbs. Cut redundancy, empty phrases, and unnecessary qualifiers. Avoid habitual 'there is' openings. Prefer active voice, using passive when the actor is unknown or unimportant. Plain language helps all readers.
Flashcard
Understood on the first read
Check your understanding
Which revision is most concise and direct?