By Toby Brener
Do your sentences suffer from “wordy phrase-itis”? These phrases pad your sentences with extra words. They increase the reading grade level. And they can make your writing sound stuffy.
For example:
• We are not accepting applications at this point in time.
• A large proportion of people don’t get enough exercise.
• We created this new product in an effort to increase sales.
Look what happens when you swap those wordy phrases with one-word alternatives:
• We are not accepting applications now.
• Many people don’t get enough exercise.
• We created this new product to increase sales.
The result? Crisp, concise and clear writing.
Try it the next time you write something. It’s fun. And it’s easy. Here’s a list you can use to guide you.
| Instead of | Use this |
|---|---|
| On the grounds that; as a result of; due to the fact that; in light of the fact that; by virtue of the fact that | Because |
| In order to; in an effort to; as a means to; for the purpose of | To |
| In connection with; concerning the matter of; with reference to; in regards to About | About |
| In accordance with | According to |
| Adequate number of; sufficient number of | Enough |
| In spite of (the fact that) | Although; despite |
| At this point in time; at the present time; at present | Now |
| In the event that; in the event of; assuming that; provided that | If |
| In advance of; prior to | Before |
| At a later date | Later |
| At all times | Always |
| By means of | By |
| In lieu of | Instead of |
| Make use of | Use |
| For the duration of | During; throughout |
| At the time that | When |
| A greater degree of; a greater proportion of | More |
| A majority of | Most |
| A large proportion of | Many |
About the Author: Toby H. Brener is a writer, editor and website manager at Aetna.