Summary: Chapter 4 states how a writer must reduce the use of unnecessary words for more concise ones, which is done during the revision process. The goal is to be concise and not have too many wordy sentences, as they take away from the actual meaning of the piece. Removing unnecessary there is/are and it is/was filler words. Eliminate redundant and empty words is necessary as well. These techniques can also be applied to social media posts. The chapter highlights how it is important for the message to be clear. Clarity can happen by keeping it simple, dumping trite business phrases, scrapping cliches, not using slang or buzzwords, rescuing buried verbs, and restraining exuberance. The document design can also help with its readability. This can be done by optimizing the white/empty space, determining the size of the margins, text alignment, appropriate fonts, capitalizing or bolding of words, underlining specific words, numbered or bulleted lists, and the proper headers. The chapter also talks about how to proofread specific documents and what to look for when revising them. The chapter closes with a section on how to evaluate the effectiveness of a writer's message.
Comment: Most times we are told to fill the page, but the chapter brings up a new point that having empty space can still engage the reader. There is no need to cram everything in on one single page, and by leaving empty space the reader is getting the chance to take a break, but also read through the document more thoroughly. The white space also allows for the important ideas to be focused at the beginning of the document, which also makes it easier for the reader to find the important information later on. The white space also gives room for revision because the writer can see what their piece is lacking and can fill those holes in.
Question: In trying to make the document simple and concise can too much white space take away from the message even if the important information has been stated?
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