UNSW Writing Style Guide UNSW Writing Style Guide | Page 21

Conciseness

A key aspect of plain English is conveying your message in as few words as possible ; each word should earn its place in your sentence . Simplifying your sentences and culling unnecessary words will make your writing cleaner and more elegant .

You can make your writing concise by removing superfluous words that don ’ t add value to your sentence . ‘ Both ’ and ‘ that ’ are prime examples of words that are often used where they aren ’ t necessary :

The team has offices in Kensington and Paddington .

The team has offices in both Kensington and Paddington .

We ensure our courses are aligned with industry needs .

We ensure that our courses are aligned with industry needs .

Transitional words like ‘ furthermore ’, ‘ nevertheless ’, ‘ moreover ’, ‘ therefore ’ and ‘ however ’ are also often redundant , or can be replaced with a simpler alternative such as ‘ but ’.

Another way to make your sentences as sharp as possible is to look out for words or phrases that you could make simpler or shorter .

Here ’ s a handy list of plain English alternatives to common words and phrases .

Use among at because , due to

because of before begin , start behind but buy , get by carry out , put in place clear clearly decide

Don ' t use amongst at about

based on the fact that , on the grounds that

by reason of prior to initiate , activate , commence at the rear of however procure by means of implement apparent it is clear that determine

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