What is wordy phrasing?

"Due to the fact that", "a large number of", "it is important to note that" can all be shortened. Prefer the compact form.

SingaporeEnglish LanguageSyllabus dot point

How do you pack many separate points into a few tight sentences without losing any of them?

Condense and combine selected points into compact sentences that retain every idea

A focused answer to compressing a summary in O-Level English: cutting examples and repetition, combining related points with linking words, and using compact phrasing so more points fit the word limit.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.88 min answerUpdated 2026-06-06

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What this dot point is asking
The answer
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Try this

What this dot point is asking

A summary has a tight word limit, so after selecting and paraphrasing the points you must pack them in compactly. Condensing means cutting everything that is not a point (examples, repetition, padding); combining means joining related points into single sentences so the same idea is not introduced over and over. The skill is fitting every relevant point into the limit through economical writing. This dot point is about compression: keeping all the ideas while using far fewer words.

The answer

Cut what is not a point

The fastest way to save words is to remove material that earns nothing. Examples, illustrations and repeated ideas are not summary points, so they should not appear in the summary at all. If a point is stated twice in the passage with different wording, it is still one point and should appear once. Cutting this padding before you combine means you are compressing only the genuine points, not wasting effort tightening sentences that should not be there.

Combine related points

Points that belong together can share a sentence. Instead of three sentences each starting "The festival...", combine them: "The festival boosted the local economy by creating jobs, attracting visitors and helping local shops." This states the shared subject once and lists the points, saving many words. Use linking words to join points naturally: "and", "as well as", "because", "which led to". Combining is the single most powerful concision technique, because it removes the repeated scaffolding around each point.

Use compact phrasing

Within sentences, prefer the shorter form:

Replace a wordy phrase with a single word: "due to the fact that" becomes "because"; "a large number of" becomes "many".
Cut empty openers: "It is important to note that the road caused noise" becomes "the road caused noise".
Turn a clause into a phrase: "people who lived nearby" becomes "nearby residents".

These small economies add up, and across a whole summary they free the words you need to fit every point.

Keep every point while cutting words

The danger in compressing is dropping a point by accident. Concision is about removing words, not ideas, so after condensing, check your point list against your summary: is every selected point still present? A summary can be tight and still complete; the aim is maximum points in minimum words, not the shortest possible summary. Tightening the phrasing should make room for more points, never squeeze them out.

Worked example

Task: condense and combine these selected points into a compact summary: "The new bus service was cheap. The new bus service was reliable. It reduced the number of cars on the road. Fewer cars meant cleaner air." Walk through the compression.

Step 1: Remove repetition and merge the shared subject

The first two points both describe the bus service, so combine them and state the subject once: "The new bus service was cheap and reliable." This already saves the repeated "The new bus service was".

Step 2: Link the connected points

The last two points form a cause and effect: fewer cars led to cleaner air. Join them with a linking word: "and it reduced cars on the road, which cleaned the air." The link makes the relationship explicit and saves words.

Step 3: Combine into one tight sentence

Put it together: "The new bus service was cheap and reliable, and it reduced cars on the road, which cleaned the air." Four points now sit in one sentence instead of four.

Step 4: Check every point survived

Confirm the points are all present: cheap, reliable, fewer cars, cleaner air. All four remain, but the word count has dropped sharply. The summary is now both compact and complete, which is exactly the balance the task rewards.

Examples in context

Example 1. The repeated-subject saving. A passage yields three points about a library: it extended its hours, it added more computers, and it created a quiet study area. Written separately, each point repeats "The library", costing words: "The library extended its hours. The library added more computers. The library created a quiet study area." Combined, the subject appears once: "The library extended its hours, added more computers and created a quiet study area." The same three points now take roughly half the words, freeing space for further points, which is how combining wins room within the limit.

Example 2. Cause and effect joined. Two related points, "the council banned cars from the town centre" and "this made the streets safer for pedestrians", can be joined to show their link and save words: "By banning cars from the town centre, the council made the streets safer for pedestrians." The linking structure ("by... the council...") both compresses the two points into one sentence and makes the relationship clear, so the summary reads as connected reasoning rather than two separate facts. Combining points that share a cause-effect link is a reliable way to be both concise and coherent.

Try this

Q1. Name two techniques for making a summary more concise. [2 marks]

Cue. Cutting material that is not a point (examples, repetition, empty openers), and combining related points into a single sentence that states a shared subject once, joined by linking words; replacing wordy phrases with shorter words also helps.

Q2. Combine these into one compact sentence, keeping both points: "The app was free. The app was easy to use." [2 marks]

Cue. "The app was free and easy to use." The shared subject "The app was" appears once, and the two points are joined with "and", keeping both ideas in far fewer words.

Q3. Explain why you must check your point list after compressing a summary. [2 marks]

Cue. Compression removes words, not ideas, so it is easy to drop a point by accident while tightening; checking the finished summary against your list of selected points confirms every relevant point still appears, keeping the summary complete as well as concise.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

Original5 marksCombine these three points into one or two compact sentences for a summary, keeping all the ideas: (1) The festival created jobs. (2) The festival attracted many visitors. (3) The festival increased business for local shops. [5 marks]

Show worked answer →

Model combination: "The festival boosted the local economy by creating jobs, drawing many visitors and increasing trade for nearby shops."

How it condenses and combines: the three separate points are joined into a single sentence using a list ("creating jobs, drawing many visitors and increasing trade"), with the shared idea (an economic boost) stated once rather than repeating "the festival" three times. All three points survive, but the phrasing is far tighter.

Alternative: "By creating jobs, attracting visitors and helping local shops, the festival strengthened the area's economy." This also keeps all three points compactly.

Markers reward combining the points into one or two economical sentences, keeping every idea, removing the repeated subject, and using a list or linking words to join them, rather than writing three separate, wordy sentences.

Original4 marksExplain two techniques for making a summary more concise, and why concision matters when there is a word limit. [4 marks]

Show worked answer →

Technique 1, cut examples and repetition: remove illustrations ("for instance...") and any idea stated more than once, since they add words without adding points.

Technique 2, combine related points: join points that belong together into one sentence using lists or linking words ("and", "as well as", "because"), and state a shared subject only once instead of repeating it.

Why concision matters: a word limit means wordy phrasing leaves no room for all the points; tight writing lets more relevant points fit within the limit, and more points usually means more marks.

Markers reward two genuine concision techniques (cutting padding, combining points, replacing phrases with single words) and a clear explanation that concision lets more points fit the limit.