Transcript Conciseness


Conciseness means to, write the paper with strong and few
words.
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Good writing needs better selection of vocabulary and words
and this comes from reading books and articles etc.
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In the fast pace of life no one has time to spend on
reading and the readers wants the nut of the
paper/article because the readers need the words
which are more effective and clear in reading. The
technical areas need the conciseness every where.
Concise article offers the material which is actually
required by the readers.
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The writer can adopt conciseness by developing a proper
introduction and outline for the article because these two
tactics can shorten the length. Elimination of the irrelevant
material is very important and this course of action could be
achieved by reading the whole document very critically.
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It is easy for the writers to add graphics while writing in the
paper because these can describe the concept/fact in the
shortest way. Revising is a key to conciseness.
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Passive voice
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Repetition of words
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Infinitive Phrases
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Vague and slang language should be avoided
while writing because these are actually
irrelevant words and weak in nature.
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One can avoid wordiness and vague words by
getting guidance from the thesaurus.
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Brainstorming facilitates the writer in
developing concise document.
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Concise writing helps the audience to hold the needed
information more easily.
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The basics of writing should be clear. The audience is the
most important factor to be focused while writing and use the
language which is understandable for them.
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Proper transition of paragraph is very useful. Grip on the
English language affects a lot while writing concise.
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Prewriting is very essential for writing concise
because in this way the writer can add all the relevant
points but with less wordiness.

The culture of the institute affects very much in the
writing skills of the students because some teachers
required that the students should write as much as
he/she can so in this case the it is impossible for the
student to focus on conciseness
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"A précis is a brief, original summary of the important
ideas given in a long selection. Its aim is to give the
general effect created by the original selection."

A summary or a précis is NOT a personal
interpretation of a work or an expression of your
opinion of the idea; it is, rather, an exact replica in
miniature of the work, often reduced to one-quarter to
one-fifth of its size, in which you express the
complete argument!
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A précis is useful as an exercise in grasping the essential
ideas of an already completed composition and in stating
these ideas in concentrated form. The précis shears away all
elaborations of the thought and gives only what is left, in
such a way as to make the summary a complete composition.
Many of the articles in The Reader's Digest are only précis,
so skillfully done that the average reader does not know that
he is reading a summary.
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It is a concise and lucid summary that forsakes all
unnecessary details (including illustrations,
amplifications, and embellishments) in favor of
reproducing the logic, development, organization and
emphasis of the original.
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A précis is a short summary. It is not a paraphrase, which
merely says in different and simpler words exactly what the
passage being paraphrased has to say. A paraphrase may be a
long as the passage itself. A précis rarely is more than onethird the length of the original selection and may be only
one-fourth as long.
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A précis gives only the "heart" of a passage. It omits
repetition and such details as examples, illustrations, and
adjectives unless they are of unusual importance.
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A précis is written entirely in the words of the
person writing it, not in the words of the original
selection. Avoid the temptation to lift long phrases
and whole sentences from the original.
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A précis is written from the point of view of the
author whose work is being summarized. Do not
begin with such expressions as "This author says" or
"The paragraph means." Begin as though you were
summarizing your own writing.
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Read carefully, sentence by sentence, the passage to be summarized. Try
to grasp the writer's main point. Spotting the topic sentence will help.
Look up in the dictionary any words whose meaning is not absolutely
clear. As you read, take brief notes to be used in your writing.
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When you have finally decided what the author's main point is, write it
out in your own words. Do not use the wording of the original except for
certain key words which you may find indispensable. If you cannot
translate the idea into language of your own, you do not understand them
very well. Be especially careful not to rely too much on the topic
sentence. Do not add any opinions or ideas of your own
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Revise your writing until you are sure that you have
given an accurate summary.
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Usually you will find your précis is too long, if it is
more than one-third the length of the original.
Continue your revision until you have reduced the
précis to the proper length. For the purpose of this
class your précis should be no longer than 1 typed
double spaced page with 1” margins (approx. 200 –
250 words).
Example
Original text
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At a typical football match we are likely to see
players committing deliberate fouls, often behind
the referee's back. They might try to take a throwin or a free kick from an incorrect but more
advantageous positions in defiance of the clearly
stated rules of the game .They sometimes
challenge the rulings of the referee or linesmen in
an offensive way which often deserves exemplary
punishment or even sending off. No wonder
spectators fight amongst themselves, damage
stadiums, or take the law into their own hands by
invading the pitch in the hope of affecting the
outcome of the match.' [100 words ]
Summary

Unsportsmanlike like behavior by footballers may cause
hooliganism among spectators. [9 words]
What To Do
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Mrs. Johnson, a strong black woman living on her
southern farm with her younger daughter, Maggie, is
waiting for a visit by her elder daughter, Dee. Dee is
returning from her home in the city, and the mother
has cleaned and swept the house and yard in order to
make a good impression.
What to avoid

Walker opens the story by building up the contrast that will
soon be made apparent. Her narrator, Mrs. Johnson, is a
plain, down-to-earth woman who has worked hard all her life
and whose basic value is her home and possessions. The
contrast is her daughter Dee, whose visit she is waiting for.
Dee has left home and lives a sophisticated life in the city.
Mrs. Johnson takes pride in her home, while Dee will regard
the home and her mother's belongings as being of no more
use than to be put on display.
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In what to avoid the paragraph starts with a topic
sentence, to which the sentences that follow adhere.
Such writing is commendable elsewhere, but not in a
précis. The other paragraph is better writing as a
précis, for it presents a selection of details only as
they appear in the story, without introductory
sentences. In the story there are no such introductions.
Sentences: Because a précis should be concise and
factual, it is tempting to write sentences that are like
short bursts of machine-gun fire. Sentences of this
kind are often called "choppy," or "bumpy." Here is an
example of choppy sentences:
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Dee comes in a car. She is dressed flamboyantly. She
is with a strange man. He is short and bearded. She
greets her mother and sister in foreign phrases. The
man does, too. she immediately begins taking
pictures. She snaps her mother with her sister in the
background. she also takes pictures of wandering
cows. She makes sure to get the house in all the shots.
She kisses her mother the, on the forehead
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An entire essay consisting of sentences like these might make
readers feel as though they have been machine-gunned. Although
you should include details, you also need to shape and organize
your sentences. Here is a more acceptable set of sentences
revised to contain the same information:
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When Dee comes, she is flamboyantly dressed, and she gets out
of the car with a strange, short, and bearded man. Both Dee and
the man greet Mrs. Johnson and Maggie in foreign phrases.
Before embracing her mother, Dee gets her Polaroid camera and
takes pictures of her mother, her sister, and wandering cows,
taking care to include the house in all her shots. Only then does
she kiss her mother, and then only on the forehead.
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This revision blends the shorter sentences together
while still attempting to cover the essential details
from the story. They phrase "only then" beginning the
last sentence gets at Dee's ridiculous behavior without
calling it ridiculous.