Cutting Wordiness and Fixing Order

Clear writing says what it means in as few words as needed. Extra words and tangled word order slow readers down and can hide your point. The editing questions often ask you to pick the tightest, clearest version of a sentence.

Wordiness is using more words than necessary — repeating ideas or padding sentences with filler. Fixing it means removing redundancy and putting words in an order that reads smoothly. The best answer is usually the one that keeps the meaning while using the fewest, clearest words.

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Cutting Redundancy and Filler

Redundancy means saying the same thing twice, and filler means adding words that carry no meaning. Both make writing heavier than it needs to be. Wrong: The two twins were both identical to each other. “Twins,” “two,” “both,” and “each other” all repeat the same idea. Corrected: The twins were identical. Watch for padded phrases you can shorten: “due to the fact that” becomes “because,” “at this point in time” becomes “now,” and “in order to” becomes “to.” Wrong: Due to the fact that it was raining, we stayed inside. Corrected: Because it was raining, we stayed inside. Empty openers like “there is” and “it is” can often be trimmed too. Wrong: There are many students who need help. Corrected: Many students need help. After a first draft, reread each sentence and ask whether every word is earning its place.

Fixing Word Order

Even with the right words, poor order can blur your meaning. Keep related words together and put the subject and verb near the front so readers grasp the point quickly. Wrong: The teacher handed back to the students the graded tests. The verb and its object are pulled apart. Corrected: The teacher handed the graded tests back to the students. Awkward order often hides a simple sentence inside a tangle. Wrong: Quickly and without any hesitation at all, the decision was made by the committee. Corrected: The committee decided quickly. Notice that fixing the order also cut several words. A clear subject-verb-object flow is usually the most readable pattern. When a sentence feels clumsy, try saying it aloud in the plainest way you can, then write that version down.

Watch: A Short Video Lesson

Get Grammarous with Kerry Sensei gives a clear overview to go with this lesson:

A Routine for Tightening Sentences

1. Remove words that repeat an idea already stated.
2. Replace padded phrases with shorter ones.
3. Trim empty openers like “there is” and “it is.”
4. Reorder so the subject, verb, and object stay close and clear.

Practice

1. What is wordiness?
2. What is redundancy?
3. Shorten “due to the fact that.”
4. Fix this: “The end result was a complete and total success.”
5. Fix this: “There are three people who volunteered.”
6. What word order is usually clearest?

Answers

1. Using more words than necessary.
2. Saying the same thing twice.
3. “Because.”
4. “The result was a success.”
5. “Three people volunteered.”
6. Subject, verb, then object.

Where This Fits in Your RLA Prep

Tight writing supports standard, formal English and pairs with parallel structure. See every topic on the Language Arts Prep Hub.

Recommended Prep Books

Keep building momentum with a full study guide and practice tests:

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