Why Is Wordiness Bad?

The Reason Wordiness Is Bad Is Because…

Take the lethally wordy combination of the reason and is because, for example. This repetitive duo is a great example of what want to eliminate in your writing: redundancy.

What do we mean? We'll show you.

Let's say your friend is gaga about grammar. You could say "The reason you love grammar is because you love rules." Of course, if you said that, you'd be Captain Redundant of the S.S. Repetitive. If you're telling us the reason, you don't need because.

If you told your friend The reason you love grammar is that you love rules it would be a step in the right direction because it cuts out the because… but it's still too wordy.

So try this one on for size: You love grammar because you love rules. Perfect! You'll notice that because has snuck its way back in there, but that's a-okay because we've nixed the reason.

You love grammar because you love rules is clear, concise, and thoroughly magnificent, just like your grammar-loving pal. She has good taste.

Examples

Common Mistakes