Arcade Time: Wordiness

Answers to the Jan. 22 In a Word game are at the end of this post. 

Clear, concise writing is welcomed almost anywhere. As Julie Wildhaber of Yahoo! points out in last week’s “Questions for an Editor...,” it is essential for the Web. In its “Writing for the Web” section, the Yahoo! Style Guide online lists more than 200 wordy phrases that can often be replaced with shorter, clearer wording. Can you find and correct the 10 wordy phrases in the text below? [Answers in the Feb. 17 Gallimaufry game.]

Examples/Hints

Advance Warning: It is often the case that Editors often find this kind of writing painful. In some instances Sometimes, however, an exercise like this can be fun and satisfying.

Wordy Text to Correct

Reducing wordiness is along the lines of eliminating redundancies: removing inessential words in an effort to make the meaning clear. When writing is found to be cluttered with unnecessary phrases, a large number of readers lose interest, turning elsewhere for their information. Editors are in a position to help. If you encounter writing that is deficient of  a clear message, make corrections to wordiness first. Once the writing is pared down, you will be able to more easily find the location of any issues with organization and word choice. With a sufficient amount of diligence, we can make the world a nicer place to read.

Answers to “In a Word: Exclamatory Possibilities”

71 Words With Friends–approved words of three or more letters from exclaim: ace, acme, ail, aim, ale, alec, alme, ami, amice, amie, axe, axel, axil, axile, axle, calix, calm, calx, cam, came, camel, ceil, cel, cimex, claim, clam, climax, clime, elm, email, emic, exam, exclaim, ice, ilea, ileac, ilex, lac, lace, laic, lam, lame, lax, lea, lei, lex, lexica, lice, lie, lima, lime, mac, mace, macle, mae, mail, maile, male, malic, malice, max, maxi, meal, mel, melic, mic, mica, mice, mil, mile, mix

Image courtesy of Viktor Hertz [video].