Editing & Revising

Precision is using the most appropriate and specific words to communicate your ideas. Writing precisely helps you convey your message clearly and directly. With precision, writers can express stronger points and reach readers more quickly.

To write precisely:

• Avoid vague terms (things, stuff, a lot, very, good, bad, etc.). Think of a better word choice to replace these vague terms. To be more precise, ask yourself specific questions, such as:
  • What things am I talking about? Name particular items or ideas. For example:  
    • Vague sentence: There were many things that he struggled with at school.

• • • Revised with specifics: There were many subjects and rules that he struggled with at school.
  • How often is a lot? Every day? Every week? How much is a lot?
    • Vague sentences: We visit the farm a lot. They house a lot of animals there.
    • Revised with specifics: We visit the farm twice a week. They house over one hundred animals of many types, from chickens to bulls.
  • Why is an idea good or bad? What attributes make it good or bad? Who finds it good or bad?
    • Vague sentence: The company created a good proposal, but it contained bad graphics. 
    • Revised with specifics: The company wrote a thorough and dynamic proposal, but it contained inaccurate graphics.

What makes business proposals or graphics “good” or “bad” can depend greatly on the industry, who is viewing them, and what attributes one expects or appreciates. The revision above also could have used the terms “concise proposal” to replace “good proposal” and “grainy graphics” to replace “bad graphics,” depending on what the author deems important. In other words, do not expect your reader to have the same idea of what constitutes “good” or “bad” when considering an idea. They need specifics to understand what you mean.

• Use active verbs. Relying on to be (is, am, are, was, were, been, being) or do (do, did, done, doing, does) verbs makes your writing more general. For example:
  • They were unfair in their critique. (This sentence is too general.)
  • Revised with active verbs: They criticized the article without reading it all the way through. (This sentence uses the active verbs “criticized” and “reading,” which makes it more precise and descriptive.)

• Use sensory descriptions. Rather than using general adjectives, write more precisely by including specific details. For example:
  • She was nervous about taking the big test. (This sentence includes the vague adjectives “nervous” and “big”)
  • Revised with sensory descriptions: Sweat dripped from her hand as she gripped a pencil and began the test.
    • Rather than simply saying she was nervous, these sensory descriptions show the person’s feelings and actions (sweat dripped from her hand, she gripped a pencil).

Writing precisely is an important aspect of producing an effective message. After you write a draft of an essay, review your sentences, and see if you can add more precision to your work.  

Source consulted: Upswing Writing Lab

Guide created by: C. Jones 2/12/2021

Revised by: E. Raley 6/5/2021

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