Writing Concisely

4.3.2013

Day 30

Today we will work on writing concisely. This is a necessary skill for summarizing, but it also aids in quality writing in general.

Rules for writing concisely

1. Avoid ________.

2. Replace several vague words with one _______ word.

3. Do not state the ________.

4. Cut the "_____ ______" phrases.

5. Avoid _______ subjects.

Worksheet as class: 15 minutes
We will discuss the above rules on concise writing. Fill in your Writing Concisely handout to be sure you remember these.

***A key in writing concisely is to be sure you do NOT change the meaning! Don't cut so many words that no one can tell what you are talking about anymore!

Conciseness Battle! 20 minutes
I will hand out a Conciseness Battle Worksheet. Your group will revise three wordy sentences to make them more concise. You will post your final answer in the Conciseness Battle document. DO NOT look at this document before your group has come to a final decision! Once you post your final answer, you cannot change it.

Final discussion:15 minutes
We will look at the Conciseness Battle document and discuss which of the two teams wrote a more concise sentence.