Re-write the statements below to make them more concrete and specific.
(1) John is incredibly intelligent.
(2) I am upset by his lack of concern.
(3) The weather in Seattle in inclement.
Re-write each of the sentences below to eliminate excessive wordiness.
(1) There can be no denying the fact that when the two people began their relationship they didn't know each other well enough to get married and make a lifetime commitment to each other, which has caused them a lot of problems and resulted in their divorce.
(2) In my personal opinion, I believe that the body's ability to fight off disease is only as strong as the person's ability to maintain a positive attitude and keep thinking positive thoughts when faced with serious health problems.
(3) It is absolutely, positively essential and necessary for the city council to think ahead and plan in advance for the poor road conditions that will be caused during the winter months of December, January and February when the weather changes for the worse.
Re-write the following examples to make the language more familiar to the reader.
(1) An assignment given to a class of business students by their philosophy professor:
"The presently assigned paper necessitates an eloquently articulated analysis of the Existentialist perspective as it pertains to contemporary living. You should adumbrate the points which represent the essential elements of your analysis."
(2) A letter sent to high school students warning them of the risks of an unhealthy diet:
"Individuals who maintain a diet of high fat content are exposed to an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of fat deposits on the inner walls of the arteries. This condition can reduce or cut off the flow of blood in the arteries serving the major organs of the body. This can lead to poor health."
How could one be more precise in his/her use of the following terms?
(1) probable
(2) doubtful
(3) certainly
(4) unlikely
(5) perhaps
(6) expensive
(7) hot
(8) intelligent
(9) good
(10) spicy
Identify two different ways one could interpret each of the sentences below.
(1) He's an interesting individual.
(2) It is difficult to estimate the number of people affected by
AIDS.
Why might each of the examples create defensiveness in the reader? Re-write the use of language to make these examples more constructive.
(1) Boss to employee: "Your job performance recently has been unacceptable and there are no excuses for it. You have claimed that you are having some serious personal problems, but even if this is true, you cannot allow it to affect the quality of your work. If your work doesn't improve, I'll have to replace you with someone else."
(2) Student to instructor: "You have confused me so badly with your lectures that I don't know what to do. I am considering dropping out and taking the class next quarter from Dr. Johnstone, who can explain the information much more clearly. I don't want to drop out, but I have never been so frustrated with an instructor in my whole life." (3) Instructor to student: "I have never had a student who was so confused with this material. Perhaps you should take an easier course from an easier professor. It makes no difference to me."Under what conditions might you want to use the different levels of formality demonstrated below (what population of readers, what type of situation, etc.)?
Very Formal: Exceedingly large segments of the population are expressing their discontent with medical practitioners who appear to more engrossed in amassing financial assets than in providing efficacious care to people with health disorders.
Formal: A large number of consumers are complaining about medical doctors who are apparently more interested in making money than in provide effective health care. Informal: A lot of people are unhappy with their doctors who only seem to care about how much money they make, and not about giving their patients good care.