Chapter 1
Information and Ideas
Course: Sat Prep
Subject: Reading And Writing
Chapter: Expression Of Ideas 5879 11902
In this lesson, you will learn how to make your writing more precise, concise, and clear. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Choose precise words that express the intended meaning.
- Eliminate unnecessary words without losing meaning.
- Identify and correct common causes of wordiness.
- Improve sentence clarity by removing ambiguity.
- Maintain a consistent style and level of language throughout your writing.
Precision
The Near Word and the Exact Word
Most imprecise writing does not use wrong words. It uses words in the right area that stop short of the point. Improving precision means moving along a scale from vague towards exact.
The move from the second box to the third is where most improvement lies.
Changed tells the reader that something is different without saying which way. Reduced fixes the direction. The fourth box adds size, and it is only worth reaching when the size is known — writing cut by half without a figure to support it is a different fault, covered further down.