<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nIn academic writing, it\u2019s crucial to be concise. For those of you looking for GRE essay tips, the GRE awards your ability to be concise, forceful and grammatical. Let\u2019s look at a common fault in writing: being too wordy.
\nHere\u2019s the trick: don\u2019t use several words when one word will do. Many people make the mistake of writing \u201cat the present time\u201d or \u201cat this point in time\u201d instead of simply \u201cnow\u201d, or \u201ctake into consideration\u201d instead of simply \u201cconsider,\u201d in an attempt to make their prose seem longer, more scholarly, or more formal. It doesn\u2019t work. Their prose is bloated or pretentious \u2014 or just silly.
\n
WORDY:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- It may well be that a certain number of people would be inclined to vote for Senator \u00a0Johnson, on the basis of his most unique feature, his ability to connect with young voters.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
CONCISE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Some might vote for Senator Johnson for his unique ability to connect with young voters.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Needless negatives are another common issue \u2014 stating your point positively is more concise (as well as more forceful).
\nNEGATIVE:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- It cannot be overstated that Brian is neither uneducated nor unskilled and will not fail to meet every deadline on time.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
CONCISE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Brian is educated and skilled, and will meet every deadline.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Another \u00a0common source of verbosity is using a weak verb and a noun, instead of the simple, strong verb. Common examples:
\nWORDY<\/strong>\u00a0(CONCISE)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n- is the cause of\u2026 \u00a0(causes)<\/em><\/li>\n
- is cognizant of\u2026 (knows)<\/em><\/li>\n
- makes a case for\u2026 (shows)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Want some homework? Try making these sentences more concise in the comments:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The school will not hire Mr. Negri in view of the fact that he quit his last job.<\/li>\n
- In spite of the fact that he only has a little bit of experience with HTML right now, he will probably do well in the future because he has a great deal of motivation to succeed in his profession.<\/li>\n
- The reason the company should hire Boris is that he speaks Russian fluently.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
GRE Writing Tip: Avoid Redundancy<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nWhile practicing for your GRE Essay, it’s important to proofread your work — just like you would on test day. One great GRE essay tip is to avoid\u00a0
redundancy<\/strong>. Redundancy means that there is needless repetition, often resulting in your failure to realize the scope of a word that has already been used. For example, “a beginner lacking experience.” The word “beginner”\u00a0implies<\/em> lack of experience. Anything that is redundant can be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence.
\nREDUNDANT \u00a0(CONCISE)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- refer back <\/em>(refer)<\/li>\n
- small-sized\u00a0<\/em>(small)<\/li>\n
- grouped together\u00a0<\/em>(grouped)<\/li>\n
- few in number\u00a0<\/em>(few)<\/li>\n
- in my own personal opinion\u00a0<\/em>(in my opinion)<\/li>\n
- serious crisis<\/em>\u00a0(crisis)<\/li>\n
- end result\u00a0<\/em>(result)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Redundancy is often the result of carelessness, but it is easy to eliminate redundant elements in the proofreading stage: just delete them.
\nREDUNDANT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- It is undeniable that Pennick’s work performance on the job gives proof of her ability.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
CONCISE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Pennick’s performance gives proof of her ability.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Note that you can improve this sentence even more by reducing “gives proof of” to just “proves.”
\nRedundancy applies to paragraphs as well as sentences. Don’t repeat what you’ve already stated clearly in another sentence.
\nCraving more practice? Try fixing these sentences by eliminating redundant elements.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Szmania knows how to follow directions and he knows to do what he is told.<\/li>\n
- Laura’s technical skill and ability are an extra added bonus to the company.<\/li>\n
- The job’s main requirement continues to remain the ability to manage a big budget that is large in size.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n