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Overview
Pleonasms are commonly used phrases that mean the exact same thing. This is a bad habit to have because it makes you look uneducated. To avoid this, we should try not to use these words and phrases in our writing. Examples of pleonasms include: anonymous stranger, circular shape, collaborate together, descend down, new beginning, merge together (with), sink down and still persists.
There are times when people have to read legal documents. These can be difficult for many people because of the dense language and obscure vocabulary. This is even worse if you’re trying to stay awake while reading an academic paper on a potentially fascinating subject, but can’t enjoy it because of the jargon and obscure vocabulary.
In a digital era, with unlimited space on the internet, we have to read more and more confusing texts. It’s no longer necessary to write in simple language that everyone can understand.
The following are the key points to clear communication. In doing so, you’ll not only improve your writing; you’ll rediscover the importance of clarity and beauty in writing.
The author will also explain why you should avoid using the passive voice and how to remove any words that cloud your message. He’ll also discuss how to slay “zombies” and “flesh-eaters.”
Big Idea #1: There is a lot of bad writing on the internet, but it’s possible to learn how to write well.
If you’ve been a long-time reader of the New Republic, then you probably remember when it was a print magazine. It used to be filled with interesting articles that were worth reading. But in 2012, Chris Hughes bought the magazine and hired new writers who moved online only. Many people worried that quality would suffer because of this change, but those worries were confirmed when the new venture’s focus was described as “a cross-functional collaboration” where they’re trying to “align themselves from a metabolism perspective” by being a “vertically integrated digital media company.”
Sadly, there’s a lot of confusing jargon on the internet. For example, “Improving the efficacy of measurable learning outcomes” is just gibberish.
In the past, when newspapers were the primary source of information, writers had to be clear and concise in their writing because there was limited space. Online content has a lot of words but very little meaning. This is because websites use clickbait or fake news to attract readers. However, it isn’t just online media that suffers from this problem; TV news reporting and academia are also guilty of using lots of words to say very little. But it doesn’t have to be this way; good writing can improve if you put effort into learning how to write well.
Even the great William Shakespeare worked on his writing skills.
Shakespeare’s early works were not as good as his later ones. One way to improve your writing is to do a lot of reading and research, which Shakespeare did. Moreover, you can also write about what interests you in order to become better at it.
Big Idea #2: It’s useful to know the traditional structures of writing, but don’t rely on them too much.
There are many different sentence structures, and while it’s good to know the classic ones, don’t be afraid to stray from them. Some sentences can end with one word and still make sense. It’s also important not to overuse adverbs or adjectives; they can clutter up your writing if you aren’t careful. You should always aim for clarity in your writing because that is what will keep readers interested in what you have to say. A readability index may help, but don’t rely on it too much because there are so many variables that come into play when determining a grade level of a written document.
