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> Eliminate! Which — without context — could be misinterpreted, say as a certain biological function. The goal is not brevity bragging rights, à la code golf:
by dctoedt 6y ago
> Eliminate!
Which — without context — could be misinterpreted, say as a certain biological function.
The goal is not brevity bragging rights, à la code golf: The goal is to serve the reader, and sometimes a few extra words, well-chosen and -placed, can help.
(Also: A few extra words can serve as cheap insurance against ambiguity, which can be critical in contract drafting.)
- Avshalom 6y agoSure but taking advantage of context is how most brevity works. For instance which words are superfluous is context dependent. Also "eliminate every superfluous word" is good advice primarily in context of the question "how do I improve my writing", it's terrible advice for "how do I stop pooping so much".