Grammar Rule 25,364

Omit unnecessary words.

Incorrect example: Omit Words That May Be Considered Unnecessary to the Cause of the Sentence. I came across the web site junketstudies.com and learned about 11 rules of writing that are often broken. Their eleventh rule of writing posted is omit unnecessary words. This rule is very important. I break it often. I broke the rule at the beginning of this post to illustrate what a difference it makes in writing. There are times when we use too many words to describe and explain things. Very often in writing, less is more. As you write, do your best to not use unnecessary words.

Other Examples:

Incorrect -- Correct

I would like to assert that the author should be considered to be a buffoon.

The author is a buffoon.

It would be safe to say that Gregor Samsa is not the only character in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis to undergo drastic changes.

Gregor Samsa is not the only character in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis to undergo drastic change.

Before going to the supermarket, we made a list of the groceries we needed in order to make the food that we intended to eat for dinner.

Before going to the supermarket, we made a list of groceries that we needed to prepare dinner.