Concise writing · Alberta Grade 4 · maddyhelps.com
Each sentence says something simple in too many words. Rewrite it shorter without losing the meaning. Read both versions out loud — the shorter one usually sounds more sure of itself.
Find one long sentence in your own writing and shorten it
Say it shorter
We are going to the store now. / The big brown dog barked loudly. / Recess should be longer. / She ran fast. / The game was cancelled because it rained. Other versions are fine if nothing important is lost. In my opinion, I think says the same thing twice, and so does fast and quick and speedy.
Concise is new in Grade 4. Earlier grades rewarded adding detail, so a child may feel that shorter means worse. The test is whether anything was lost — if not, the shorter one is better.
Why this matters is on the reading and writing page. More sheets