Writing clearly and concisely

Writing Clearly and Concisely

Overview

Write with clarity and force. This skill covers what to do (Strunk) and what not to do (AI patterns).

Limited Context Strategy

When context is tight:

1. Write your draft using judgment
2. Dispatch a subagent with your draft and the relevant section file
3. Have the subagent copyedit and return the revision

Loading a single section (~1,000-4,500 tokens) instead of everything saves significant context.

Elements of Style

William Strunk Jr.'s The Elements of Style (1918) is the reference. The rules most violated in practice:

• Use active voice — passive buries the agent and weakens sentences
• Put statements in positive form — "he was not honest" → "he was dishonest"
• Use definite, specific, concrete language — vague nouns and abstract claims lose readers
• Omit needless words — every word should do work
• Place emphatic words at end of sentence — the last word is the most memorable position

For complete rules with examples, load the relevant section:

Section	File	~Tokens
Grammar, punctuation, comma rules	02-elementary-rules-of-usage.md	2,500
Paragraph structure, active voice, concision	03-elementary-principles-of-composition.md	4,500
Headings, quotations, formatting	04-a-few-matters-of-form.md	1,000
Word choice, common errors	05-words-and-expressions-commonly-misused.md	4,000

Most tasks need only 03-elementary-principles-of-composition.md — it covers active voice, positive form, concrete language, and omitting needless words.

AI Writing Patterns to Avoid

LLMs regress to statistical means, producing generic, puffy prose. Avoid:

• Puffery: pivotal, crucial, vital, testament, enduring legacy
• Empty "-ing" phrases: ensuring reliability, showcasing features, highlighting capabilities
• Promotional adjectives: groundbreaking, seamless, robust, cutting-edge
• Overused AI vocabulary: delve, leverage, multifaceted, foster, realm, tapestry
• Formatting overuse: excessive bullets, emoji decorations, bold on every other word

Be specific, not grandiose. Say what it actually does.

For comprehensive research on why these patterns occur, see signs-of-ai-writing.md. Wikipedia editors developed this guide to detect AI-generated submissions — their patterns are well-documented and field-tested.

Bottom Line

Writing for humans? Load the relevant section from elements-of-style/ and apply the rules. For most tasks, 03-elementary-principles-of-composition.md covers what matters most.