1. Omit wordy phrases (look at the sheet titled "concision")

• awkward phrases such as "due to the fact that"
• excessive prepositional phrases
• redundancies such as "state of shock" or "consensus of opinion"
• clichés

2. Use active verbs

• avoid the passive voice (its wordier)
• avoid weak verbs (to be, make, do, get) and employ active verbs. For example: "make an announcement" is "announce."

1. Maintain clear pronoun reference—be sure a pronoun has a clear antecedent (including pronouns "this" and "it")

2. Avoid vagueness—try to use the most concrete and specific words and details you can find—this helps avoid reader confusion

1. Vary your sentence structure

2. Have care with word choice so what you write means what you mean (and most importantly, means what the author meant).

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