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“简洁，再简洁”是美国作家梭罗的名言，也是英语写作的一个重要原则。冗长、复杂、繁琐、拖沓是英语写作的大忌。一篇优秀的文章，行文不仅要清晰流畅，还要言简意赅。而毫无意义的单词、含混哕嗦的短语、结构复杂的长句堆砌在一起会削弱句的气势。下面从选词、改写从句、修辞格等方面，谈谈怎样使英语表达既简练又含蓄，从而提高英语写作能力。
一、删除重复的词语。例如：
Group A
a.Mary is a quiet and careful woman.
b.He returned in early part of the month of August.
C.He continues to remain rich.
Group B
a.Mary is quiet and careful.
b.He returned in early August.
c.He remains rich.
比较上述两组句子，第一组只是重复了词的意思，而没有增加任何新的意义；第二组的句子很简洁，表达也准确。不必要的重复词语会使句子不自然，分散读者的注意力。下面几个句子都有这种缺点：
(1)The question of who is to be considered needy is a hard question to answer.
(2)If one examines the story carefully,one will find that the hidden symbolism in the story makes the story much more readable than one first found in the story.
第1句中question重复了两次，第2句中one和 story都一再重复，使得全句的主题被掩盖。修改时可以删去重复的词语或用代词it等来取代。两句的修改分别如下：
(1)The question,who is to be considered needy,is hard to answer.
(2)If one examines the story carefully,he will find that the hidden symbolism in it makes it much more readable than he first found.
二、用一个贴近的词取代累赘词语
累赘表达诸如：I think that,in my humble opinion,It seems to me that等，经常出现在口语中，用以延长思考的时间，自然填补尴尬的冷场与语塞。然而，在写作中若随处使用此类词语，行文会臃肿虚浮，因而应尽量避免使用并找一个有效的词简化表达。例如：
The reason why we honor Lincoln in these various ways is that he saved the Union.
可以改写为：We honor Lincoln because he saved the Union.
常见的累赘短语如下：它们可以相应地用右边括号内的单词替代。
because of the fact that(because)
in a curious manner (curiously)
in the near future (soon)
in many instances
(often)
bring all this to a conclusion (conclude)
have the ability(Can)
使用了上述短语的句子结构松弛，意思含糊不清，读来吃力。所以能使用一个单词表达时，就不使用短语，使句子简单、明了。当然并不能一味地追求单词带来的简洁，因为短语结构有时表达的语义要更正式一些，如about与in regard to,near和in the vicinity of就能体现出正式文体和非正式文体的区别，要灵活掌握其用法。
三、避免冗长的结构。例如
(1)It should be observed whether your dog is eating weeds,rubbish,or other things not part of his usual diet,for if he is participatingin such behavior,you may know that this is a symptom of his having worms.
这个句子中的It should be observed结构可以简化成Notice;for if he is participating in such behavior结构可以简化为for if he does，于是句子就不会冗长了。准确、简洁的表达为：
Notice whether your dog is eating weeds,rubbish,or other things not part of his usual diet,for if he does,he may have worms.
(2)It is requested by the management that the audience refrain from using flash attachments for the purpose of picture taking during the performance.
其表达的意思很简单，可是结构很复杂，可改为：The management requests the audience not to take pictures during the performance.
四、精简从句
将从句改写为不定式，分词短语、动名词短语、介词短语、同位语等结构，是简化句子的好办法。
(1)I decided that I should take the examination.→I decided to take the examination.（不定式）
(2)The professor was absorbed in work that did not notice my presence.→Absorbed in work,the professor did not notice my presence.（分词短语）
(3)If you start early,you'll get there at noon.→ Starting early will get you there at noon.（动名词短语）
(4)During the four years when she studied at college she seldom watched TV.→During her four years at college she seldom watched TV.（介词短语）
(5)Beijing,which is the capital of China,is a famous ancient city.→Beijing,the capital of China,is a famous ancient city.（同位语）
由上可见，不含从句的句子，简洁明快，干净利落，干脆有力，浅显易懂。
五、巧妙运用修辞格
修辞格是一种修辞手段，目的在于取得最佳的表达效果。一般主要用于文学性写作中。但在大学英语的写作中的需要运用一定的具有英文特征的修辞手段，运用恰当，会使语句形象、生动、简明扼要，从而增添语句亮点。掌握并使用下列三种修辞方法对于实现语句亮点是非常必要的。
1.对比
正反对比是巧妙地运用对称的英文句式和选用适当的反义词语表达互为补充的意思，简洁精炼，可加强语气。例如：
We have friends similar to us and friends different from us.（句子中similar to与different from具有正反对比的关系和效果）
2.排比
排比句式结构相同，整齐而有气势。例如：
Reading makes us wise while exercise makes us strong.
3.提喻
提喻是用一个事物的部分代表事物的整体或用一个事物的整体代表事物的部分。例如：
(1)A hand is needed here.（“hand”代表人）
(2)China won the championship st the
tournament.（“China”代表中国球队）
文以简洁为贵，用词简练不仅能节省篇幅，而且能够准确清晰地表达思想。废话赘言不仅使行文冗长、乏味，而且使内容含糊不清，令人费解。因此，写作时应尽量选用简洁精炼的词语，短小精悍的句子，必要的修辞格，力求言简意赅。