Concision facts for kids

Concision, also known as conciseness, succinctness, or brevity, is a way of communicating clearly by using as few words as possible. It means getting your message across without any extra or repeated words, while still keeping the full meaning.

For example, imagine you want to say: "It is a fact that most arguments must try to convince readers, that is the audience, that the arguments are true." A more concise way to say this would be: "Most arguments must demonstrate their truth to readers." The first sentence uses extra words like "it is a fact" and "that is the audience," which aren't needed. The shorter version is clearer and easier to understand.

Why Being Concise Matters

Being concise is important because it makes your writing and speaking much clearer and more powerful. When you use fewer words to say something, your message becomes easier for others to understand quickly. It also shows that you have thought carefully about what you want to say.

Making Your Message Clear

When you write or speak concisely, you remove anything that might confuse your audience. This helps them focus on the main ideas without getting lost in extra details or repeated information. It's like clearing a path so someone can walk straight to their destination.

Saving Time and Effort

Concise communication saves time for both the writer and the reader. For the writer, it means getting to the point faster. For the reader, it means they can grasp the information more quickly without having to sort through unnecessary words. This is especially helpful in school, when writing essays, or giving presentations.

Tips for Being Concise

Many famous writers and teachers have shared advice on how to be more concise. It's a skill that takes practice, but it makes a big difference in how well you communicate.

Learn from the Experts

The French thinker Blaise Pascal once wrote in a letter in 1657:

This means it often takes more time and effort to write something short and clear than to write something long and rambling.

William Strunk and E. B. White, who wrote a famous American English style guide called The Elements of Style, said that:

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

They believed that every single word you use should be important and add meaning, just like every part of a machine has a purpose.

Simple Steps to Be More Concise

Joseph M. Williams, another expert on writing style, suggests these helpful tips for being more concise:

• Remove words that mean little: Get rid of words that don't add much to your sentence.
• Avoid repeating yourself: Don't use different words to say the same thing twice.
• Cut out implied words: If a word's meaning is already clear from other words, you don't need to say it.
• Use one word instead of a phrase: Sometimes, a long group of words can be replaced by a single, stronger word.
• Change negatives to positives: Instead of saying "not absent," say "present." It's often clearer.
• Delete useless adjectives and adverbs: Extra descriptive words can sometimes make your writing weaker, not stronger.

Concision in Learning

Being concise is a skill taught to students at all levels, from elementary school to college. It's especially valued in English writing because it helps you explain ideas clearly.

Studies by educational psychologist Richard E. Mayer and others have shown that when textbooks and lectures are concise, students understand the material better. This means that clear, brief explanations can help you learn more effectively.

See also

In Spanish: Concisión para niños

• Brevitas
• Chekhov's gun
• Minimalism
• Show, don't tell