One of the most popular Google searches is ‘how to shorten an essay.’ Most students, both in High School and Colleges as well as professionals, find this task hard to crack. They end up feeling frustrated, and some even develop a negative attitude towards essays.
But all that is about to change! How? You may ask.
Keep reading.
You will see how you can effectively reduce your essay word count without ruining it at all. A lot of writings are there already on this subject. But before you take this as any other blog post, read on to find out why this one is unique.
Why Should You Learn How to Shorten Your Essay?
There are a lot of benefits that come with this vital writing skill. Since very few have a grasp of how to cut down on word count, this should already ring a bell in your mind. Scroll down to see what you have been missing out on:
- Short is sweet
- Many readers are turned off by long posts
- Extended essays are daunting and lack an aesthetic appeal
- Fluff and verbosity eat much space (which may not even get read)
- irrelevant or sub-par content is part and parcel of long essays
- Shorter essays are easy to edit and proof-read
- A short piece gives you the chance to present your absolute best arguments
- When you reduce word count, your paper does not appear dull
- Short articles have little or no repetition
- You will win over the hearts of many!
Do you now see why you should know how to reduce word count? The advantages are many, chief being, higher grades in return. Who knows, one of your departmental heads might call you over to help him write a memo!
The question still begs, “how do I lower my word count in an essay?” We will be getting to that in a bit. In the meantime, fasten your seat belt and hold tight! The real deal is about to drop in a matter of seconds.
How to Shorten a Paper
It is possible to shorten any paper. You might have a nine-page essay, and you are profusely sweating because the lecturer asked you for three pages only. Relax. Calvary is here to help you get back on track and beat your classmates.
Now, this is important:
Top Ten Secrets on How To Decrease Word Count
Here are ten great tips for trimming your essay painstakingly without destroying its content.
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- Check for redundancy
Sometimes when we are writing, we tend to forget that some words provide context sufficient for the reader’s comprehension. Such eliminates the need for further explanation. It is what contributes to the stuffing of words.
Example: High school essays have word limits which make students struggle when writing their essays.
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- Shorten essay by focusing on the main point
Most students tend to beat around the bush in their essays instead of approaching the point head-on. The result of this is diluting the main point with long paragraphs leading to a higher word count. Going straight to the end helps save time and space!
A short piece of writing is a result of focusing on your topic and arguments without adding unnecessary ‘make-up.’
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- Settle for the active verb
Verbs have a passive and an active form. The passive forms of verbs are longer and less precise when communicating a message in your essay. Some may leave readers confused about who the subject and object are in a particular sentence.
Example of an active verb form: The president declared a state of emergency.
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- Avoid too many adverbs and adjectives.
These bring about the impression of subjectivity on the part of the writer. Instead of using adjectives, you can replace them with quotes, data, quantities or dates.
Example: An earthquake of 9.1 magnitude
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- Short form of words is the best!
You can shorten the length of your essay by using shorter versions of words rather than their extended forms. Although this may not reduce the word count to some extent, it shortens the essay length.
Examples: Instead of Promulgation, use activate.
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- Short sentences are vital.
Long sentences are hard to follow and may be misleading to the reader.
Keep your sentences between 10-25 words. It will contribute a great deal in creating shorter essays as well as clear sentences.
Your reader will also be in a position to understand the sentence.
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- Minimize the number of words in a phrase
Although phrases appear as long words, they may come in handy when salvaging a long piece. The vast stock phrases can help combine several words into one or two from the initial five or seven.
Example: instead of using ‘on the other hand’ one can use the word ‘however.’
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- Paragraphs should be as short as possible.
A standard paragraph is about 250-300 words. In this number of words, you can effectively communicate an idea to your audience. Many readers get enticed with small items because they can quickly skim through and understand the message.
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- Avoid referring back
It is notorious, especially in the subsequent paragraphs. Such action contributes to more space, and you may lose your reader in the process.
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- Check on the use of prepositional phrases.
It is impossible to neglect such linking words as; for, by, to, on, in, from etc. in your essay. You can rework these phrases by using possession.
How to Shorten a Quote in an Essay
The following tips can help you achieve this thick and fast:
- Use an ellipsis
- Use quotes
- Blend a paraphrase
Using on or more of the essay shortener tricks above helps you save on space while coming up with a readable, explicit, and unmatchable content. If you still experience difficulties, we have professional college essay writing help on standby for you! Give it a try now and see the difference.
