Getting Rid of Wordiness

Resist the temptation to pad your writing with words and phrases that sound good but add nothing to the point you are trying to make. Watch out, especially, for repeated ideas and long, unnecessary phrases.

Wordy Sentence

The former tenant who had lived in the apartment before we moved in had painted all the walls with a coat of pink paint.

Concise Sentence

The former tenant had painted all the walls pink.