Unlock the Secret Strategies Experts Use to Transform Research Papers into Clear, Concise Masterpieces
How do precise verbs and the removal of “wind-ups” reduce wordiness?
Many researchers use “wind-ups” or “filler phrases” to introduce a point. These are groups of words that provide no new information but act as a sort of linguistic runway. While they might feel polite or formal, they actually obscure the grammatical subject of the sentence and delay the arrival of the actual point.
Common wind-ups to avoid include:
- “It is interesting to note that…”
- “It should be pointed out that…”
- “The fact of the matter is that…”
- “There is a plethora of evidence to suggest that…”
Instead of using these, simply state the fact. If the evidence suggests a conclusion, start the sentence with the evidence or the conclusion itself. Furthermore, selecting precise verbs allows you to replace a verb-adverb pair with a single, more powerful word. Instead of saying “the results went up significantly,” you might say “the results surged” or “the results escalated.” Using precise vocabulary reduces the need for qualifiers and keeps your writing focused on the data.
