The following material is from Berke, J. 1976. Twenty questions for the writer: A rhetoric with readings.

(2nd
Ed.). USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. Underscoring added.

ECONOMY
The first quality of good writing is economy. In an appropriately slender volume entitled The Elements
of Style, authors William Strunk and E. B. White stated concisely the case for economy: A sentence should
contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing
should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make
all his sentences short or that he avoid all detailbut that every word tell. In other words, economical
writing is efficient and aesthetically satisfying.Economical writing avoids strain and at the same time promotes
pleasure by producing a sense of form and right proportion, a sense of words that fit the ideas that they
embodynot with a line of deadwood to dull the readers attention, not an extra, useless phrase to clog the
free flow of ideas, one following swiftly and clearly upon another.

Eliminating Unnecessary Words

Avoid indirect expressions
Example:

An agnostic is one who holds that he has no knowledge of God; indeed that the human mind
is incapable of knowing whether there is or is not a God. (30 words)

Improvement: An agnostic maintains that the human mind has no way of knowing [or cannot know]
whether or not God exists.(14-17 words)

Avoid useless repetitions

Example:
He sees not only the world of man, but instead he also sees the world of God.
Improvement: He sees both the world of man and the world of God.

Avoid negative phrasing

Example:
I find myself not in complete agreement with you.
Improvement: I disagree with you.
Example:
I do not expect to be misunderstood.
Improvement: I expect to be understood.

Avoid loose, inexact verbs

Example:
He felt that the best way to avoid temptation was to get her to leave.
Improvement: He felt that the best way to avoid temptation was to make her leave.

Avoid ineffective intensifiers (really) and qualifiers (rather)

Example:
A Farewell to Arms was the novel which really made Hemingway a commercial success.
Improvement: A Farewell to Arms was Hemingways first commercially successful novel.

Example:
The most powerful force in all the world is love.
Improvement: The most powerful force in the world is love.

Avoid anticipatory phrases such as it is, there was*

Example:
The reason that he voted for the independent candidate was that she had an antiwar record.
Improvement: He voted for the independent candidate because she had an antiwar record.
*This principle generally applies, although with exceptions: specifically when the extra words contribute to the rhythm of the sentence or when
they help to build the sentence toward an appropriately emphatic climax.

Avoid redundance
Example:
Her dress was pink in color.
Improvement: Her dress was pink.
Example:
The professor introduced a new innovation.
Improvement: The professor introduced an innovation.

Avoid deadwood (words that carry no meaning)

Example:

In many cases students are now working along the lines of discussing controversial issues with
the administration.
Improvement: Many students are now discussing controversial issues with the administration.
Example:
He is working in the interest of political unity.
Improvement: He is working toward political unity.
Here is a list of common deadwood expressions that pad rather than add to the meaning of a sentence:
to the extent that
the fact that
seems to me to be
of the character that
on the level of

of the nature of
owing to the fact that
with reference to
tends to be
may be said to be

Note how easily many such useless and cumbersome expressions can be abbreviated.
at the time
at some future time
in the event that
is aware of
by virtue of
owing to the fact that
in spite of the fact that
is likely to
was of the opinion that
the question as to whether
to be desirous of
to be deficient in
in a slow manner

then
after
if
knows
through
because
despite
may
believed
whether
to want
to lack
slowly