What is “wordiness”?: Difference between revisions

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Many students fail research papers because of wordiness. '''Wordiness''' are unnecessary words that makes a sentence or paragraph confusing or too long. A common mistake used in wordiness is students trying to use big words. Students do this to sound smart and to impress their teachers. Sometimes using big words make sentences sound ridiculous. Here is an example.
Many students fail research papers because of wordiness. '''Wordiness''' is the use unnecessary words that make a sentence or paragraph confusing or too long. A common mistake is to use big words. Students will try to use big words to sound smart and impress their teachers. Sometimes using big words will make sentences sound ridiculous. For example :


*'''Wordy:''' That baby is gargantuan.
*'''Wordy:''' That baby is gargantuan.
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*'''Calloquialisms'''
*'''Calloquialisms'''


'''Redundancy''' is another common mistake made by students when it comes to wordiness.Redundancy is when a statement is said two or more times but in a different way, and if two or more words are used right next to each other that have the same meaning. Diana Hacker notes, “a sentence is wordy if its meaning can be conveyed in fewer words” (124). She gives examples of redundant phrases such as “ ''close proximity''” and “''true fact''” (125). These words have similar meanings and can be reduced to one word. Diana also emphasizes the point to “look for any opportunities to reduce clauses and phrases to single words” (127). Her example is,
'''Redundancy''' is another mistake made when it comes to wordiness. A statement that is used two or more times is redundant. Words that are used right next to each other with the same meaning are redundant. Diana Hacker notes, “a sentence is wordy if its meaning can be conveyed in fewer words” (124). She gives examples of redundant phrases such as “ ''close proximity''” and “''true fact''” (125). These words have similar meanings and can be reduced to one word. Diana also emphasizes the point to “look for any opportunities to reduce clauses and phrases to single words” (127). Her example is,


*'''Wordy:''' "Susan's stylish pants, made of leather, were too warm for Miami.
*'''Wordy:''' "Susan's stylish pants, made of leather, were too warm for Miami.
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*'''Concise:''' Fact, like opinions, can usually be stated without preamble" (Arlov 428).
*'''Concise:''' Fact, like opinions, can usually be stated without preamble" (Arlov 428).


Eliminating big words and redundant words will make getting an "A" on a paper easy by making sure words are concise.  
Eliminating big words and redundant words will make getting an "A" on a paper easy.


== Work Cited ==
== Work Cited ==
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