Writing: Style, Tone & Register C1 - Lesson 9: Writing with Concision: How to Eliminate Wordiness

Writing: Style, Tone & Register C1

Lesson 9: Writing with Concision: How to Eliminate Wordiness

Listen to key concepts and examples.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify and eliminate common forms of wordiness—such as redundancies, nominalizations, and fillers—to make your writing more direct, professional, and authoritative.

Why Write Concisely?

At a C1 level, good writing is not about using *more* words; it's about using the *right* words. Wordiness weakens your argument and wastes the reader's time. Concise writing is confident, clear, and professional.

C1 Principle: Don't use ten words when five will do.

The Wordy Trap vs. The Concise C1 Style

Compare the two examples below. Both say the same thing, but the C1 version is stronger and more professional.

WORDY (B1/B2) 👎

"It is my personal opinion that we should make a decision to conduct an investigation of the new market. We need to do this in the near future because it is very important."

CONCISE (C1) 👍

"We must investigate the new market soon. It is essential."

Your Concision Toolkit: 3 Enemies to Eliminate 🛠️

Train your brain to find and destroy these three common types of wordiness.

1. Redundancies (Tautology)

Saying the same thing twice. The extra word adds no new information.

• past history
• basic fundamentals
• final result
• completely finished
• personal opinion

2. Nominalizations (Zombie Nouns)

Turning a strong verb (like "decide") into a weak noun (like "make a decision"). Find the verb hidden inside the noun.

• make a decision → decide
• conduct an investigation → investigate
• have a discussion about → discuss
• perform an analysis of → analyze

3. Filler & Qualifier Phrases

Weak words that add nothing but length. If you can delete a word and the meaning is the same, delete it.

• really / very (Use a stronger word: essential not very important)
• in order to → to
• It seems that... (Just say it!)
• at this point in time → now
• due to the fact that → because

Practice What You Learned 🎯

Quiz: Choose the Most Concise Sentence

Read the wordy sentence and choose the best, most concise C1-level replacement.

1. Wordy Sentence:

"The final conclusion of the report is that we need to make a reduction in our spending."

Best Replacement:

• A) The final conclusion is that we must make a reduction in our spending.
• B) The report concludes that we must reduce our spending.
• C) The report's conclusion is a reduction in spending.

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2. Wordy Sentence:

"It is absolutely essential that we really finish this project at this point in time."

Best Replacement:

• A) We must finish this project now.
• B) It is essential we finish this project at this point in time.
• C) We must really finish this essential project.

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3. Wordy Sentence:

"In my personal opinion, I believe that the marketing team should make an improvement to the website."

Best Replacement:

• A) I believe that the marketing team should improve the website.
• B) The marketing team should improve the website.
• C) An improvement to the website should be made by the marketing team.

Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)

• Concise / Concision | សង្ខେប / ភាពសង្ខេប
  Short, clear, and giving a lot of information without unnecessary words.
• Wordiness / Fluff | ការប្រើពាក្យច្រើនលើស
  Using too many words, making a text weak and unclear.
• Redundancy / Tautology | ពាក្យដដែលៗ
  Using two or more words that mean the same thing (e.g., "past history").
• Nominalization | នាមនីយកម្ម
  Changing a verb (action) into a noun (thing), which often makes the sentence weaker (e.g., "decide" → "make a decision").
• Filler Phrase | ឃ្លាបំពេញ
  A phrase that adds no meaning and can be deleted (e.g., "in my personal opinion").

Your Writing Mission ⭐

The "C1 Editor" Challenge

Your mission is to edit a wordy B2-level paragraph and make it concise and powerful at a C1 level. Find and eliminate redundancies, nominalizations, and fillers.

Wordy Paragraph (62 words):

"At this point in time, our company is in the process of making a determination about its future plans. It is my personal opinion that the most important priority is for us to have a discussion about how to make an improvement in our sales. The final result of this meeting will be absolutely critical for our basic survival."

Your Task: Rewrite this paragraph in your notebook to be **under 30 words** while keeping the core meaning.

Show C1 Example Answer

C1 Version (22 words):

"Our company is now determining its plans. We must discuss how to improve sales. The result of this meeting will be critical for our survival."