Conciseness and Redundancy (SAT Writing)

SAT Writing Principle

"Shorter is Better"

When multiple answers are grammatically correct:

• Choose the most concise option
• Eliminate unnecessary words
• Avoid redundancy (saying same thing twice)

BUT: Don't sacrifice clarity or meaning!

Redundancy

What is Redundancy?

Repeating the same idea unnecessarily

Common Redundant Phrases

Time Redundancies: ❌ "Past history" → ✓ "History" (history is always past) ❌ "Future plans" → ✓ "Plans" (plans are for the future) ❌ "Advance warning" → ✓ "Warning" ❌ "Currently ongoing" → ✓ "Ongoing" OR "Current"

Meaning Redundancies: ❌ "Free gift" → ✓ "Gift" (gifts are free) ❌ "End result" → ✓ "Result" ❌ "Final outcome" → ✓ "Outcome" ❌ "Basic fundamentals" → ✓ "Fundamentals" OR "Basics"

Number Redundancies: ❌ "Each individual person" → ✓ "Each person" ❌ "12 noon" → ✓ "Noon" (noon is always 12) ❌ "Sum total" → ✓ "Sum" OR "Total"

Description Redundancies: ❌ "Small in size" → ✓ "Small" ❌ "Round in shape" → ✓ "Round" ❌ "Blue in color" → ✓ "Blue" ❌ "Completely eliminate" → ✓ "Eliminate"

Reason/Cause Redundancies: ❌ "The reason is because..." → ✓ "The reason is..." OR "Because..." ❌ "Due to the fact that" → ✓ "Because"

Wordy Phrases

Replace Wordy Phrases with Concise Alternatives

Wordy → Concise:

• "At this point in time" → "Now"
• "In spite of the fact that" → "Although"
• "For the purpose of" → "To"
• "In the event that" → "If"
• "On account of the fact that" → "Because"
• "With regard to" → "About"
• "In order to" → "To"
• "Has the ability to" → "Can"
• "Is able to" → "Can"
• "Make a decision" → "Decide"
• "Give consideration to" → "Consider"
• "Come to a conclusion" → "Conclude"

SAT Question Types

Type 1: Which is Most Concise?

Question: "Which choice most effectively expresses the idea?"

Strategy:

1. Eliminate redundant options
2. Eliminate wordy phrases
3. Choose shortest that preserves meaning

Type 2: DELETE Redundancy

Sometimes answer is "DELETE the underlined portion"

If the underlined portion repeats info already stated, delete it!

Type 3: Combining Sentences

Choose option that eliminates repetition

Before: "The book was long. The book was interesting." Better: "The book was long and interesting."

When Conciseness Rules

All Are Grammatically Correct

Pick shortest

Example:

• A) Due to the fact that it rained
• B) Because it rained ✓ (shortest, same meaning)
• C) Owing to the rainfall
• D) On account of it raining

Same Meaning, Different Length

Pick concise

Example:

• A) Has the ability to succeed
• B) Can succeed ✓
• C) Possesses the capability of succeeding
• D) Is able to achieve success

When NOT to Choose Shortest

Changes Meaning

If shortest option changes meaning, DON'T choose it!

Loses Clarity

If conciseness creates confusion, choose clearer option

Loses Important Detail

Sometimes extra words add necessary information

Identifying Redundancy

Ask: Is This Word Necessary?

Test: Remove the word. Does sentence still mean the same?

"Completely exhausted" → "exhausted" (exhausted already means completely tired)

Look for Doubles

Two words that mean the same:

• "Various different"
• "Join together"
• "Absolutely essential"
• "Exact same"

Check for Implied Meaning

If meaning is already implied, don't state it:

• "Tall skyscraper" (skyscrapers are tall by definition)
• "Empty void" (voids are empty)
• "New innovation" (innovations are new)

SAT Strategies

Eliminate Longest First

Usually the wordiest options are wrong

Look for "DELETE"

If underlined portion is redundant, DELETE might be right

Check for Repeated Info

Is same idea stated twice in passage?

Trust Your Ear

Read it aloud - does it sound repetitive?

Know Common Redundant Phrases

Memorize the frequently tested ones

Common SAT Redundancies to Know

Definitional Redundancies

• Past history/experience
• Future plans/goals
• Unexpected surprise
• Final conclusion
• Advance preview
• Close proximity

Descriptive Redundancies

• Very unique (unique = one of a kind, can't be "very")
• Extremely essential
• Most optimal (optimal = already best)
• Continue to remain
• Still persists

Verb Redundancies

• Combine together
• Merge together
• Cooperate together
• Return back
• Refer back
• Revert back

SAT Tips

• Shorter is better when meaning is preserved
• Check for redundancy - saying same thing twice
• "DELETE" is often correct for redundant text
• Common phrases: "The reason is because" → choose "The reason is" or "Because"
• "In order to" → usually just "To"
• Descriptive redundancy: "Blue in color" → just "Blue"
• If all are correct, choose shortest
• Trust your instinct - if it sounds repetitive, it probably is
• Don't sacrifice clarity for conciseness