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Grammar and Eliminating
Wordiness
Presented by: Jennifer Singleton
How We Read
The paomnehil pweor of the hmuan mnid.
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer
in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is
taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
total mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
Subject-Verb Agreement
1.Singular indefinite pronoun subjects take singular verbs.
Ex: No one wants to eat the last piece of cake.
2. Inverted subjects (when the verb comes before the subject) must
agree with the verb.
Ex: There are three cars to tow.
3. A phrase or clause between a subject and verb does not change
the number of the subject.
Ex: A box of nails sits on the counter.
Subject-Verb Agreement
4. For compound subjects joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the
subject closer to it.
Ex: Neither the buyer nor the sellers are interested in paying the
closing cost.
5. Collective nouns may be singular or plural depending on how they
behave in the sentence.
Ex: The Senate has decided not to convene today. (as a collective
unit)
Ex: The Senate members have decided not to meet. (as individuals)
6. Compound subjects joined by and are always require a plural verb.
Ex: A writer and his pen make an attractive couple.
Initialisms and Acronyms:
To “the” or not to “the”
Know the difference between an initialism and an acronym?
Initialisms are abbreviations that can’t be pronounced like
words: FBI; acronyms are abbreviations that can: NASDAQ
1. You should use “the” before an abbreviation if the spelled-out
word begins with “the.”
Example: the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The PRC
honored the visiting dignitaries.
Initialisms and Acronyms:
To “the” or not to “the”
2. When “the” is not a part of the spelled-out name, you
should not place it before the abbreviation.
Example: Chicago Public Schools. All CPS students are
excused from classes this week.
3. Do not place “the” before an acronym. Acronyms are
abbreviations that can be pronounced as words, like
“NASCAR” and “NATO.”
Example: My brother is a huge fan of NASCAR races.
Redundancy and Wordiness
Many of us believe that a wordy sentence or a sentence that uses
academic language (big words) automatically makes said sentence
read more eloquently. Not true.
The goal is to communicate the message as simply as possible,
while keeping in mind the intended audience’s reading level and
knowledge of the topic.
Redundancy and Wordiness
Wordy (alternative)
At this particular point in time (now)
Made mention of the fact
(mentioned)
In spite of the fact that
(although)
Call your attention to
(remind you)
In this day and age
(today)
With regards to
(regarding)
In order to
(to)
For the simple fact
(because)
Take into consideration
(consider)
Redundancy and Wordiness
Redundant (alternative)
Eliminate altogether
Past history
Plan in advance /plan ahead
Warn in advance
Important essentials
Follow after
First and foremost
ATM machine
PIN number
(eliminate)
(past)
(plan)
(warn)
(important or essential)
(follow)
(first)
(ATM)
(PIN)
Redundancy and Wordiness
Smothered Verbs
Active verbs are often “smothered” by phrases that begin with
a form of be, give, have, make, or take.
Be in agreement
Be of the opinion
Be in receipt of
Give consideration
Have a requirement
Make a determination
With the knowledge that
With the exception of
(agree)
(believe)
(receive)
(consider)
(require)
(determine)
(knowing)
(excepting/excluding)
Parallelism
Parallel sentence structure provides balance and rhythm when you
are expressing similar ideas.
Words
Incorrect : The analyst provides information, will recommend
changes, and can assist with technical issues.
Parallel: The analyst provides information, recommends changes
and assists with technical issues.
or
Parallel: The analyst provided information, recommended changes
and assisted with technical issues.
Parallelism
Words
Incorrect: The committee members read the petition, were
discussing its arguments, and the unanimous decision was to ignore
it
Parallel: The committee members read the petition, discussed its
arguments, and decided unanimously to ignore it.
Phrases
Incorrect: It is easier to report to one executive manager than
reporting to all the division heads.
Correct: It is easier to report to one executive manager than to
report to all the division heads.
Parallelism
Clauses
Incorrect: What we say and the things we do somehow seem out of
sync.
Correct: What we say and what we do somehow seem out of sync.
Correlatives (either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also)
Incorrect: He was not only kind, but also knew when to help
people.
Correct: He was not only kind, but also helpful.
Active vs. Passive Voice
Verbs whose subjects are acted upon are in the “passive” voice.
Active voice (the subject acting) is preferred when possible
because it offers more clarity and makes the sentence more concise.
1. It was decided by the commissioner that more decisions should
be made by the regional offices of the company.
Active: The commissioner decided that the company’s regional
offices should make more decisions.
2. Consideration was given to this matter by our executive director.
Active: Our executive director considered this matter.
Active vs. Passive Voice
3. David Walker was elected chairman by the committee.
Active: The committee elected David Walker as chairman.
4. It is the opinion of the division that the equipment is being used
in an improper manner by staff.
Active: The division believes that staff are improperly using the
equipment.
5. The request of the division was given approval by the director.
Active: The director approved the division’s request.
Which vs. That
So what’s the difference?
Consider these examples:
The files, which are marked “Unclassified,” are stored in the
basement.
The files that are marked “Unclassified” are stored in the
basement.
Which vs. That
In the first sentence, the word “which” is nonrestrictive. It’s merely
adding information about the files. Stating so doesn’t change the
meaning because it’s implied that all the files are unclassified.
In the second sentence, “that” is restrictive. It implies that there are
other files with different classifications, and that these files may be
stored elsewhere. Only the unclassified files are stored in the
basement in this example.
Is it “insure” or “ensure”?
“Insure” and “ensure” are examples of homophones, words that
sound alike but aren’t spelled the same and have different
meanings.
capital: chief city
complement: to make complete
discreet: tactful
elicit: draw out
insure: to provide insurance
stationary: in a fixed location
principal: main; important
council: assembly; group
capitol: legislative building
compliment: praise
discrete: distinct
illicit: illegal; taboo
ensure: to take care
stationery: paper; letters
principle: rule
counsel: advice; to advise
Punctuation
Commas
Within a series of three or more words, phrases, figures, etc., use
a comma after each item (called a “serial comma”).
Ex: DAD Hill requested a new pen, three copies of the report, and
a strong cup of coffee.
Use a comma after an introductory prepositional or adjectival
phrase four or more words in length.
Ex: In addition to these figures, the unit will release a full analysis
next week.
Use a comma to indicate omitted words.
Ex: In May the first arrived; in June, the second; in July, the third.
Punctuation
Semicolons
Use a semicolon to separate units of a series when one or more of
the units contain commas.
Ex: The conference had attendees from Denver, Colorado; Boston,
Massachusetts; and Miami, Florida.
Use a semicolon before introductory words such as “namely,”
“however,” “therefore,” “further,” etc., when they introduce a
complete sentence.
Ex: The preliminary findings are positive; however, we are worried
about the report’s accuracy.
Punctuation
Hyphens
Use a hyphen to avoid “doubling” a vowel when adding a prefix.
However, regardless of a double vowel, do not use a hyphen after
the prefixes co, de, non, pre, re, and sub.
Ex: anti-inflation; semi-independent; cooperation; deemphasize;
nonnuclear; preexisting
Use a hyphen to join a prefix to an already hyphenated
compound.
Ex: pre-cease-fire talks
Punctuation
Colons
 Use a colon before a final clause that summarizes or expands the
topic; and before lists.
Ex: We will visit four countries: Spain, Brazil, France, and Canada.
Ex: The assistant will perform the following duties:
 Answer e-mails
 Attend meetings
 Draft reports
Other Grammar Tips
Tip #1:
Pronouns must agree in number with the words they refer to.
1. Bathe each dog before they come inside the facility.
This sentence is incorrect because “each dog” is singular and “they
come” is plural. For a proper agreement, this sentence should read
one of two ways:
Rewrite: Bathe each dog (singular) before it comes (singular) inside
the facility.
or
Bathe the dogs (plural) before they come (plural) inside the facility.
Other Grammar Tips
Tip #2:
When using apostrophes to show possession, be sure to
correctly indicate whether you mean joint possession or
singular possession, or both.
1. Melissa and Mike’s books were stolen last week.
There is nothing wrong with this sentence if you’re referring to the
books that Melissa and Mike owned together. However, if
Melissa’s books were stolen and Mike’s books were also stolen,
you’d rewrite:
Rewrite: Melissa’s (her books) and Mike’s books (his books) were
stolen last week.
Other Grammar Tips
Tip #3:
Avoid repetition. Don’t use three or four words when you can use one or
two.
Original: Each and every one of you will lose if you fail to plan ahead.
Rewrite: Each of you will lose if you fail to plan.
Original: The perpetrator vandalized 15 stores in the month of February.
Rewrite: The perpetrator vandalized 15 stores in February.
Original: After I mixed together several cleaning products, I began to
feel nauseous.
Rewrite: After I mixed several cleaning products, I began to feel
nauseous.
Other Grammar Tips
Tip #4:
The subject and verb have to make sense together, meaning the
subject has to be able to “do” the verb.
Original: The restaurant hopes its new low-calorie sandwich will
attract more customers.
The restaurant can’t hope, but its owner or manager can.
Rewrite: The owner hopes the restaurant’s new low-calorie
sandwich will attract more customers.
Hands-on Exercises
 Simplifying sentences handout
 Punctuation handout
References
 The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition
 The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need: A One-
Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment
 The Gregg Reference Manual
 www.PlainLanguage.gov
Questions?
Question and Answer
Wrap-Up