From the course: Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer
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Overstretching thoughts
From the course: Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer
Overstretching thoughts
- The writer Mark Twain supposedly once said this to a student. "I notice that you use plain, simple language, "short words and brief sentences. "That is the way to write English, "it is the modern way and the best way. "Stick to it, don't let fluff and flowers "and verbosity creep in." Now, I agree with that, largely. Brief sentences are snappy and punchy, and generally, they make comprehension of your ideas very easy. Have you ever read sentences that are just ridiculously long? And if you have, then you'll get this point. Sentences can often get too long for two basic reasons. First, a writer may put in too many subclauses into the sentence, making his or her train of thought hard to follow. Here is an example of too many subclauses. Honda faces growing competition in the U.S., where economic conditions remain weak, from Mazda, a rival from Japan, which recently teamed up with Ford, a North American automobile manufacturer, whose earnings have been severely dented by Europe's debt…
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Contents
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The beauty of simplicity1m 29s
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Fancy, flowery, and official language6m 16s
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Fancy, flowery, and official language: Exercises2m 24s
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Economical ("tight") writing1m 43s
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Economical ("tight") writing: Exercises5m 53s
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Redundant words51s
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Redundant words: Exercises1m 37s
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More implied words57s
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More implied words: Exercises1m 34s
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Long words3m 3s
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Long words: Exercises4m 56s
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Careless repetition3m 31s
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Careless repetition: Exercises8m 21s
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Rambling (saying too much)4m 48s
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Double negatives3m 35s
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Multiply entities2m 47s
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Overstretching thoughts9m 51s
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Unnecessary ceremony2m 53s
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Unnecessary ceremony: Exercises3m 39s
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Excessive punctuation4m 33s
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