5.2 Redundancy and Conciseness

5.2 Redundancy and Conciseness

Effective writing is not just about using correct grammar and punctuation; it is also about conveying your message as clearly and efficiently as possible. On the PERT Writing exam, you will encounter questions that test your ability to eliminate unnecessary words and avoid repetitive phrasing. This skill is known as achieving conciseness. Good writers avoid both wordy phrases and redundant phrasing, ensuring that every word serves a specific purpose in the sentence.

The Importance of Conciseness

Conciseness means using the fewest words necessary to make your point accurately and powerfully. When sentences are cluttered with unnecessary words, the core message becomes diluted and harder for the reader to understand. In standardized testing, the shortest grammatically correct answer is often the best choice, provided it does not change the original meaning of the sentence.

When evaluating sentences for conciseness on the exam, ask yourself:

• Does this word or phrase add new meaning?
• Can this idea be expressed more simply?
• Are there words that are implied by the context and can be removed?

Redundant Phrasing

Redundancy occurs when a writer uses two or more words together that mean exactly the same thing. This is a common trap in everyday speech, but in formal writing, it should be rigorously avoided.

Consider the phrase "unexpected surprise." By definition, a surprise is something that is unexpected. Therefore, the word "unexpected" is entirely unnecessary and makes the phrase redundant. The correct phrasing is simply "a surprise."

Common Redundancies to Avoid

Here is a list of frequently tested redundant phrases and their concise corrections:

• Refer back → Use refer. (When you refer to something, you are already looking backward to it.)
• Basic fundamentals → Use fundamentals or basics. (Fundamentals are, by nature, basic.)
• Past history → Use history. (History only deals with the past.)
• End result → Use result. (A result only happens at the end of a process.)
• Exactly identical → Use identical. (Identical already means exactly the same.)
• Free gift → Use gift. (A gift is inherently free.)
• Advance warning → Use warning. (A warning must happen in advance of an event.)
• Combine together → Use combine. (Combining already means putting things together.)
• True facts → Use facts. (Facts are, by definition, true.)

Whenever you see these combinations on the PERT exam, you can confidently eliminate the redundant adjective or adverb to make the sentence clearer.

Wordy Phrases

While redundancy involves words that repeat the same meaning, wordiness involves using a long, complicated phrase when a single word or a shorter phrase would suffice. Wordy phrases often sound formal or academic to inexperienced writers, but they actually weaken the impact of a sentence.

One of the most notorious wordy phrases is "due to the fact that." This five-word phrase can almost always be replaced by the single word "because."

Common Wordy Phrases to Simplify

Example of Wordiness: Wordy: At this point in time, the committee is of the opinion that we should make a decision to cancel the project due to the fact that it is over budget. (29 words)

Concise: Now, the committee believes we should decide to cancel the project because it is over budget. (16 words)

The concise version is much stronger and easier to read. It eliminates the clunky, bureaucratic language without losing any of the original meaning.

Strategies for the Exam

When approaching questions about redundancy and conciseness on the PERT Writing exam, keep these strategies in mind:

1. Beware of the "sounding smart" trap: Sometimes, test-takers choose the longest, most complicated answer because they think it sounds more academic or intelligent. However, formal writing prizes clarity above all. Do not assume that a longer phrase is better.
2. Look for overlapping meanings: Train yourself to spot adjectives that are already implied by the nouns they modify (like "past history" or "unexpected surprise").
3. Simplify prepositional phrases: Many wordy expressions rely on strings of prepositions (e.g., "in a manner of speaking," "for the purpose of"). See if these can be replaced by a single adverb or conjunction.
4. Trust the shortest answer: If you are debating between two grammatically correct choices that convey the exact same meaning, the shorter option is almost always the correct answer on the PERT.

Eliminating Unnecessary Modifiers

Sometimes, writers include modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) that do not add any real meaning to the sentence. Words like very, really, actually, basically, and literally are often used as "filler" words.

• Wordy: She was actually very exhausted after the long marathon.
• Concise: She was exhausted after the marathon.

Since "exhausted" already means very tired, adding "very" is unnecessary, and "actually" serves no purpose. By ruthlessly cutting these filler words, you can make your writing much more concise and impactful.

By mastering the principles of conciseness and learning to spot redundant phrases, you will be able to quickly identify and correct wordy sentences on the PERT Writing exam. Practice revising your own writing to eliminate clutter, and you will develop a sharp eye for clear, efficient prose.