The #2 Most Common Mistake In Writing

Writing is an art, but sometimes less paint creates a better picture. 

One of the most common errors in writing is using too many words. This essay looks at how unnecessary and redundant words can clutter our writing, making it hard to understand and less effective.

We'll explore why this happens and how to avoid it, showing that sometimes, less is more in writing.

Let’s look at this sentence:

If you are thinking, “This sentence emphasizes the author’s point well”, you have room to improve.

If you are thinking “This sentence can be shortened. For example, ‘We should pay attention to reducing pollution since it’s important to save our environment’”, there’s still room for improvement.

Students often use unnecessary words to emphasize their points, but we should not make the sentence longer. Instead, we should use specific language and structure to highlight the key idea. Like this:

We must deliver the key message in each sentence, avoiding unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, and phrases.

In the above example, the main message is the importance of reducing pollution to save our environment.

Another common mistake is using redundant words. Take a look at this example:

In this sentence, “return to” and “reconsider” are redundant. Reorganizing the sentence can make it shorter. Like this:

The art of writing is often more about what we choose not to include than what we do. We've seen how overloading sentences with superfluous words can obscure the intended message and weaken the impact of the writing.

By focusing on the key message, using specific language, and avoiding redundancies, we can enhance the clarity and effectiveness of our writing.