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We've talked about cohesion and coherence.

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Now let's talk about concise writing.

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Concise writing is a key skill for getting a really, really high score.

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It's not easy, but if you want to know what a skill, how you know somebody is a skilled writer is

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because they're able to write concisely.

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Writing concisely means every word in the sentence counts.

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Sometimes when I see student writing, they have a lot of articles in and b verbs and helping verbs

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and just a lot of just extra frivolous language.

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And they create these super long sentences because they have so many extra words, like you can have

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a long sentence where every word counts.

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And there's a difference between between between that between that type of writing and having just extra

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words.

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So here are some keys to eliminating, eliminating or being able to be concise in terms of your writing.

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So you want to be able to eliminate unnecessary determinants and modifiers.

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So, for example, look, hear this example.

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Any particular type of dessert is fine with me.

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Right.

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Look at the more concise version.

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Any dessert is fine with me.

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But look at these extra words.

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Particular type of dessert.

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Any dessert?

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Any dessert is the same thing as saying particular type of dessert.

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Now, some of you might be saying, well, the sentence is correct.

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So what does it matter?

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Well, again, concise writing is high level writing.

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And we know this because when you look at a basic level English student, they have these types of sentences

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that are really long because they have this extra words.

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They don't they don't have the ability to say the same thing with less.

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High level English writing happens where you're able to say the same thing with less the same impact

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with less balancing.

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Balancing the budget by Friday is an impossibility without some kind of extra help.

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Again, extra language.

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Extra language as some of you, again, you're going to say, but there's nothing wrong with it.

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I'm trying to tell you the difference between a high score on the rubric and a lower score on the rubric,

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because lower level English students use that kind of writing some kind of.

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So here we are again.

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Another way to be able to be more concise, change phrases into single words.

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Look here.

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The employee with ambition, the ambitious employee.

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The department is showing the best performance, the best the best performing department.

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That kind of writing, that concise writing where you're changing phrases into single words is the type

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of writing that gets really high scores.

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When a greater sees that, they're like, Wow.

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Wow.

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This person really knows how to write very, very well.

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When they see a lot of those extra words, it it doesn't really impress them.

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So something else you can do is change unnecessary change the unnecessary words that who which clauses

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into phrases.

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Again, the report which was recently released.

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The recently released report.

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All applicants who are interested in the job must.

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All job applicants must write.

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That is what when we talk about concise writing, when we talk about concise writing, that's what we're

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talking about.

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That's what it means to write concisely.

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So we also have to avoid overusing explicit, explicit expletives.

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I'm sorry.

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Avoid overusing expletives at the beginning of a sentence.

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So I see this one a lot.

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It is the governor who signs or vetoes bills.

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There are four rules that should be observed.

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Write the governor signs or vetoes bills.

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Four rules should be observed.

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That is concise writing.

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That is the kind of writing that will get you a really, really high score.

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Use the active voice rather than the passive voice.

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An account was opened by Mrs. Sims.

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Mrs. Sims opened an account.

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When you're writing when you're writing, 90% of your writing should be in the active voice.

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90% of your writing should be in the active voice.

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When you write in the active voice, you avoid being wordy.

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There are only are there only are specific situations where you use the passive voice.

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So if you're just using the passive voice all over the whole essay or over the whole report, and you

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don't have the specific situation that calls for using the passive voice, you're going to get marked

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down for that.

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Avoid overusing noun forms of verbs.

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The function of this department is the collection of accounts.

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This department collects accounts.

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The current focus of the medical profession is disease prevention.

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The medical profession currently focuses on disease prevention.

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Look at this.

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Look at this last sentence.

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I want you to I just want to point out to you extra words, right of the ears, extra words here in

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this sentence.

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In this sentence at the bottom, every word is necessary.

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Every word is necessary.

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That's what concise writing is.

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Everything is necessary.

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Everything is needed.

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Too many times, students write sentences that have language that is not needed.

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All right, so you have to also reword unnecessary or infinitive phrases, reword, unnecessary or infinitive

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phrases.

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Some infinitive phrases can be converted into finite verbs or brief noun phrases.

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Making such changes often results in the replacement of a verb with an action verb, right?

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So example the duty of a clerk is to check all incoming mail, all incoming mail, and to record it

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all.

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Clerk checks, a clerk checks and records all incoming mail.

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That is a concise sentence, right?

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So a lot of times when I'm writing compound sentence or complex sentences, my sentences are longer.

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But my sentences are.

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All right.

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Sometimes you want to combine sentences to avoid wordiness.

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Exactly.

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This is why I preach and preach and preach.

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Having the ability to write compound in complex sentences because it cuts out so many, so many extra

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words.

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In this top sentence, we have 22 words.

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In this bottom sentence, we have 17 words.

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Now, some of you may say, well, that's just five words.

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Yes, but it makes a difference.

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Concise writing reads better.

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The best writers write concisely.

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This is what you have to do if you want a really, really high score.

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Right.

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So don't come and ask me something like, well, can I be wordy and still get a really high score?

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You've got you're you really are making it a challenge to for a greater to give you a high score if

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you are extremely wordy in your sentences because it's not impressive wordiness is not impressive.

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Being concise is really, really impressive.

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So if you're asking me about getting a high score, it's all about your ability to impress the greater.

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Right.

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So you want to also eliminate some common wordy expressions.

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Avoid.

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There is and there are constructions.

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Cut them out.

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Stop using them.

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Stop using them.

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All right.

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If you want to write more concisely, stop using.

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There is and there are.

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Just stop.

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Because it sounds better when you don't use them.

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It's better writing.

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Avoid using the first person.

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Right.

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Wordy, I think that Jorge's wife is unhappy because Jorge ignores her.

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George's wife is unhappy because Jorge ignores her.

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This is a proper sentence.

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This is a high level sentence.

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This first sentence is a basic level sentence.

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Right.

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I hope that you're seeing the difference between basic level writing and advanced level writing.

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Right.

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Sometimes people think, well, it's just about vocabulary.

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No, it's not.

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Is more about sentence structure.

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Right.

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It's more about sentence structure.

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So do you have any questions?

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If you have any questions about concise writing, let me know.

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I'm going to include a couple of exercises and you should do those exercises to work on your to work

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on your ability to do concise writing.

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So thanks a lot and I will talk to you soon.