Web Writing That Works!

           A Project of
           The Communication Circle

Guidelines Rants Patterns Poems Services Classes Press Blog Resources About Us Site Map

HomeGuidelines > 1. Trim that Text! ! > 1b. Use short words> Challenge + Answer                                                             

 

Diagram

Background

Examples

Audience Fit

Challenge

 

Challenge

Replace the big words with small words.

(a) When you make a donation...

(b) This educational institution holds...

(c) The culinary staff took up their pans and...

(d) Implement the appropriate launch sequence for your computer.

(e) We sent the samples back to the laboratory.

(f) Please endeavor to ...

(g) We reached the termination.

(h) Before you start, we want to apprise you...

(i) Poking around in the attic, she ascertained that ...

Answer=>

Answer

 

(a) When you make a gift

(b) This school holds…

(c) The cooks took up their pans and …

(d)  Start your computer.

(e)  We sent the samples back to the lab.

(f)  Please try to….

(g)  We reached the end.

(h)  Before you start, we want to tell you…

(i)  Poking around in the attic, she learned that…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other ways to trim that text

1a. Cut any paper-based text by 50%.

1c. Make some sentences short.

1d. Make most paragraphs short.

1e. Delete marketing fluff.

1f. Move vital but tangential or supplemental material.

1g. Convert repeating categories of information into tables.

1h. Beware of cutting so far that you make the text ambiguous.

   

Resources on brevity

Taking a Position on Brevity

Heuristic Online Text (HOT) Evaluation for Brevity

Poster

 

Home | Guidelines | Rants | Patterns | Poems | Services | Classes | Press | Blog |
Resources | About Us | Site Map

Web Writing that Works!
http://www.WebWritingThatWorks.com
 © 1999, 2002, 2004 Jonathan and Lisa Price
The Communication Circle
Discuss at HotText@yahoogroups.com
Email us directly at ThePrices@ThePrices.com
Order Hot Text (the book) from Amazon