Removing Fillers

Would You Like Fries With That?

Fillers are words that fatten sentences, similar to how a burger with fries affects us. The phrase "There is" is a common filler that serves no purpose to the sentence and usually indicates the uncertainty of the writer.

Man eating burger [Picture]. Retrieved from http://itola.com/business/new-mississippi-law-no-fat-people-allowed/

Here are some examples of how I removed the fillers from these sentences to make them more concise:

Wordy:

     There are four sous chefs who report directly to the head chef.

Concise:

     Four sous chefs report directly to the head chef.

With the fillers removed, the sentence is refined and is able to convey the same message more effectively.

Reference:

Guffey, M.E., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2008).  In A. Williams (Ed.), Writing Process Phase 3: Revise, Proofread, Evaluate. Business Communication:  Process and Product, Sixth Canadian Edition (pp. 175-181). Toronto, Ontario: Nelson Education Ltd.