135  The 7 Cs

Take-home Message

At the level of individual word choice, good writing is concise, clear and correct.

  • Concise writing is short and helps focus the meaning of text.
  • Clear writing reduces ambiguity and confusion.
  • Correct writing accurately reflects what the writing is trying to convey.

We’ll begin our discussion of writing at the level of choosing individual words.

Concise
There are no unnecessary words or phrases obscuring the real content. (Chapter 136)

Links to sections on Concise

Clear
There are no ambiguous words or phrases that confuse the reader and impede understanding. (?sec-clear, ?sec-clearTransitions)

Links to sections on Clear

Correct
The text communicates exactly what the author intended. ?sec-correct)

Links to sections on Correct

Considerate
Information within a sentence is structured according to the reader’s expectations. (?sec-considerate)

Links to sections on Considerate

Cohesive
Sentences are connected with appropriate transitions and in a meaningful order. (?sec-cohesiveStructure, ?sec-cohesiveTransitions)

Links to sections on Cohesive

Links to sections on Consistent

Consistent
Names and the order of information do not change unnecessarily. (Chapter 197)
Contextual
Your writing is a vehicle used to deliver a specific message to a specific audience. (?sec-contextual)

Links to sections on Contextual