How to Make Writing Clearer: 5 Practical Techniques

Clarity is the single most undervalued skill in modern writing. When people write obscurely, it is often because they fear simplicity makes them look unintelligent. In truth, top executives and senior academics value brevity and directness above all else.

1. Replace zombie nouns with lively verbs

Nominalizations—turning active verbs into static nouns ending in -tion, -ment, or -ance—suck the vitality out of sentences. Don’t say “make an arrangement for,” say “arrange.” Don’t say “reach an agreement on,” say “agree.”

2. Keep subject and verb close together

When you insert long dependent clauses between the subject and its main verb, the reader has to hold their mental breath. Keep the subject and verb as close as possible at the front of the sentence.

3. Delete redundant doublets

English has accumulated pairs of words that mean the exact same thing: “each and every,” “first and foremost,” “full and complete.” Pick one and delete the other.