As grant professionals, every day we draft thoughtful sentences to effectively engage reviewers. Sometimes our careful writing meets an obstacle in the form of a character limit or word count. You know how it is. Sometimes we use too many words… but sometimes we can easily eliminate certain filler words in our draft. 

 

Grammarians call expendable words “expletives”—not bad, as the word is commonly understood, but instead, unnecessary and maybe a bit of a distraction. 

 

Deleting or replacing these expendable words can help with character goals! In this situation, we can take a breath, tally our characters, and then very likely pare down sentences to fit the given constraints without losing meaning. At DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services, we try to live without these expletives in most cases:

 

• “some” (of)

• “a little,” “somewhat,” etc.

These can actually diminish the point you want to make, sounding less certain or less assertive: 

“We anticipate a little growth in the success rate, from 13% to 15%”

• “We anticipate growth in the success rate, from 13% to 15%.”

“Some of this funding will enhance some of our services” 

• “This funding will enhance specific services.”

These examples might feel (a little) obvious, but you can see the possibilities for greater conciseness and impact.

 

• “there is/are”

• “it is” […evident/likely, etc.]

These two phrases often occur in everyday speech. But “there” usually refers to nothing (no place), and “it” almost never refers back to an earlier antecedent (a noun that “it” is subbing in for). They take up word count, almost always for no good reason. They can slow a reviewer’s smooth comprehension (somewhat).

“There is a tremendous amount of need” 

• “The need is tremendous” or “A tremendous amount of need exists.”

“It is imperative that we effect change in our community” 

• “We must effect change in our community.” 
• “amount of,” “number of”

These phrases are almost always replaceable or expendable.

“This funding will have an incredible amount of impact.”

• “This funding will have an incredible impact.”

“A good number of our clients have gone on to pursue higher education.”

• “Many of our clients have gone on to….”

You might like keeping them for emphasis. But if character count is paramount, they can certainly go.

 

• “any” (of)

This concept is typically unnecessary, not truly adding (any) meaning.

“When any of the outcomes meet the stated objectives…”

• “When outcomes meet the stated objectives…”

or “When an outcome meets a stated objective….”

 

• only if you are nearly desperate: adjectives and adverbs

When trying to meet word count, after you consider the above expletives and you still need to cut, you may consider adjectives and adverbs as possibly expendable. The choices might feel (a little) agonizing, but focus on the essential message you want to communicate.

“We can very likely pare down sentences” can become
“We can likely pare down sentences”
or “…can pare down” if you are feeling strong.

“…we draft thoughtful sentences to effectively engage reviewers” 

might become “…we draft thoughtful sentences to engage reviewers.'”

(Removing “effectively” feels doable, but not “thoughtful.”)

 

On the flip side, we have (some) favorites that we continue to use for emphasis when character count allows. As a team, we tend to be lenient toward these phrases in our stories:

 

• “as well as,” “in addition to”

The powerful effect of “as well as” is a favorite among our team. It feels more compelling than a simple “and.”

“This project will serve young people in crisis today, as well as provide for their future stability.”

• “all” (of)

Similar to “as well as,” this phrase can add (a little) extra emphasis when writing about impact and need. (Tip: you can shorten “all the time” down to “often” or “always.”)

“Please allow us to thank you for all your volunteer roles and activities.”

 

If you want to limit your use of expletives but don’t want to constrain your flow and inspiration as you write, you can make a list of the expletives you tend to use and search for them after your draft is complete. Or your editor can search for them as part of their process. 

 

We’d love to know: What expletives do you tend to use on a regular basis but can probably live without? Do you have any that you regularly choose to include in your writing? Let us know in the comments below.