Module 1: Exercises 1-6

Exercise 1.1: Being Brief

"People shouldn't fear anything except being fearful, and we should stick together on this so we can't be defeated."

More concise: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"The male gender is so different from the female gender that it is almost as if the two are from completely different planets altogether."

More concise: "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus." - John Gray

"Before there was anything else, the all-powerful omniscient, omnipresent being of all beings created out of nothing both what we know of today as the earth and that which we do not yet know of - the heavens."

More concise: "In the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1

Exercise 1.2: Being Precise

Ambiguous vs. Ambivalent

• As I watched the two friends intimately laugh, I began to wonder about the ambiguous nature of their relationship.
• The mayor took an ambivalent stance when questioned by reporters.

Healthy vs. Healthful

• Sustaining an exercise regime will ensure a healthy future.
• Fruits and vegetables comprise a healthful element of nutrition.

Conscience vs. Conscious

• Having stolen the pack of gum, her conscience directed her to return it to the store.
• Knowing that stealing is wrong, she made a conscious decision to steal the gum.

Apprise vs. Appraise

• By posting speed limit signs within city limits, the police hoped to apprise drivers of the local regulations.
• In desperate need of money, she went to have her ring appraised.

Disinterested vs. Uninterested

• The tardy student seemed uninterested in what the principal had to say.
• The mediator tried to remain disinterested in the students' dispute.

Affect vs. Effect

• Hundreds of millions of people were affected by the recent tsunami.
• This natural disaster will have a lasting effect.

Exercise 1.3: Being Active

"The labor leaders were frustrated by the latest offer which forced them to go through with the strike."

More active: "With management's attempt for reconciliation not meeting expectations, the labor leaders announce with frustration in their voice that the strike would go on."

"She walked into the room without saying a word, sat down and looked at me."

More active: "Strolling into the room with the grace and ease of a trained dancer, her silence startled me as she took her place at the table and turned her gaze toward me."

Exercises 1.4 and 1.5: Being Imaginative

1.4: Cliches to avoid

Armed to the teeth. Dressed to the nines. Butt crack of dawn (maybe that's just my family). Slippery slope. Stitch in time saves nine. Kill two birds with one stone. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Is the glass half empty or half full? Monkey on my back. The cat's meow. And so on and so forth.....

1.5: Analogies

• Much like the flu vaccine shortage, Internet users can fall victim to viruses if they do not have adequate protection in place.
• Like a multi-laned highway, the Internet has various speeds: The far right lane is for dial-up, the far left lane is for T3 connections and broadband users get the middle lanes.

Exercise 1.6: Being Consistent

"U.S. Airways promises a bounty of flights that are on time, have convenient connections and offer a well-balanced in-flight meal."

More consistent: "U.S. Airways promises a bounty of flights that are on time, have convenient connections and offer well-balanced in-flight meals."

"Heroes in movies are always wealthy, always get the girl, wear high fashion and usually arrive at the scene about two seconds after the bad guy has left."

More consistent: "Heroes in movies are always wealthy, always get the girl, always wear high fashion and almost always arrive at the scene about two seconds after the bad guy leaves."

"Speaking of movies, telephones in movies are always knocked over if they wake up a character, never ring more than three times before getting answered, and get restored by frantically tapping on the cradle and shouting, "Hello? Hello?"

More consistent: "Speaking of movies, telephones in movies are always knocked over if they wake up a character, never ring more than three times before being answered, and are restored by frantically tapping on the cradle and shouting, "Hello? Hello?"