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Concise Writing Exercises

Good business writing is concise, direct, and unambiguous. The exercises below will help students eliminate wordiness in their writing. Also see these concise writing tips.

 

Exercise 1

Make the sentences more concise. The potential answers are listed after the activity.

1. In spite of the fact that our budget for advertising is now higher, our sales figures have not gotten any better.

2. In the event of an emergency, such as a fire or earthquake, please exit the building as soon as you possibly can.

3. We currently have several available job openings for a variety of positions in our Sales department.

4. The reason I’m having trouble with my computer is because the antivirus has not been updated at all recently.

5. We consider the candidate to be a very good fit for either of the two positions.

6. As we discussed during our previous phone call, the shipping charges on your next order with us will be waived.

7. We are now in the process of evaluating how to address the issue that exists regarding the performance of our team members.

8. Our researchers carried out interviews with several people who are professionals in the health care industry.

9. Please change the information on your employee profile to include the most recent information.

10. We would like to offer congratulations to all the people who participated in and completed the training program.

 

Potential Answers

1. Despite increasing our advertising budget, sales have not improved.
2. In case of emergency, please exit the building immediately.
3. We have several job openings in our Sales department.
4. I’m having trouble with my computer because its antivirus is out of date.
5. We think the candidate would be a good fit for either position.
6. As we discussed, we will waive the shipping charges on your next order.
7. We are addressing our team’s performance issues.
8. Our researchers interviewed several health care professionals.
9. Please update your employee profile.
10. Congratulations to everyone who completed the training program.

 

 

Exercise 2

Make the sentences more concise. The potential answers are listed after the activity.

1. We certainly hope this decision won’t have a negative impact on the reputation of our firm.

2. Basically, what the training program is going to do is prepare each and every one of the participants for their certification test that they will take soon.

3. Could you recommend to us someone in the area who works as a contractor?

4. There is a possibility that I might get together with some of the people in my MBA program this weekend.

5. She is professional, courteous, and she always comes to work on time.

6. The problem was addressed at our meeting that we have every week.

7. Please talk to John and tell him about the benefits of the deal and that he should accept it.

8. The primary role of our recruiters is to search for and locate professionals with good qualifications who live in our area.

9. Carlos speaks English fluently, and can also speak Portuguese at an intermediate level, and in addition he is capable of conversing in German.

10. It’s a really excellent opportunity and one that you should definitely take advantage of.

 

Potential Answers

1. We hope the decision won’t damage our reputation.
2. The training program will prepare participants for the upcoming certification test.
3. Could you recommend a local contractor?
4. I might get together with my MBA classmates this weekend.
5. She is professional, courteous, and punctual.
6. We addressed the problem at our weekly meeting.
7. Please try to persuade John to accept the deal.
8. Our recruiters find highly qualified professionals in our area.
9. Carlos speaks fluent English, intermediate Portuguese, and conversational German.
10. You should take advantage of this excellent opportunity.