{"id":1914,"date":"2017-10-18T22:50:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T02:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/?page_id=1914"},"modified":"2020-05-08T20:29:34","modified_gmt":"2020-05-09T00:29:34","slug":"conciseness-strategies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/techrhet.com\/3213\/notes\/conciseness-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Conciseness Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ancillary matter: intro<\/a> | conciseness<\/a> | sample sentences<\/a><\/div>\n
issues & strategies: fillers<\/a> | circumlocutions<\/a> | canned phrases<\/a> | starters<\/a> | passive voice<\/a> | nouning<\/a> | weak verbs<\/a> | obviousness<\/a> | repetition\/redundancy<\/a> | simple one-word verbs<\/a> | fewer words & syllables<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/span>\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

Introduction \/ Overview<\/h3>\n

Unlike some other kinds of writing such as poetry or fiction, business writing is not an opportunity for self-expression. Instead it calls for a fairly conservative and unadorned style. Writing style, also known as voice or tone, is the manner in which a writer addresses the reader. It involves qualities of writing such as word choice (vocabulary and diction); grammar and syntax; sentence length, structure, and order (cohesion); and paragraph length, organization, and arrangement (coherence).<\/p>\n

There was a time when many business documents were written in third person to give them the impression of objectivity. This formal style was often passive, wordy, and loaded with empty phrases and unnecessarily complex words, perhaps to give them the impression of authority. Today, good business writing is clear, concise, correct, and courteous. Business writers aim for a readable, conversational style using plain English and active verbs.<\/p>\n

During the semester, this course material will present various strategies to improve the readability and clarity of your professional writing, loosely organized around achieving those objectives — clarity, concision, correctness, and courteousness. You’ve already read about courteousness (you-atttitude, reader-centered writing, courteous genre conventions, etc.), and in the future, you’ll read about clarity and correctness.<\/p>\n

Today, it’s all about being concise.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u2305<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

Conciseness<\/h3>\n

Conciseness means getting rid of every word that serves no function. Concise writing:<\/p>\n