要寫出漂亮的英文句子，首先且至關重要的一點就是簡潔。一般來說，隻有在強調或修飾句子時，才能重複使用某個或某些意義相近的單詞和短語，否則句子就會顯得囉嗦、冗餘，應當“刪繁就簡”。許多人將簡潔與簡短混為一談，其實兩者有天壤之別：簡潔是指簡明扼要，沒有多餘的內容；簡短則是指文字篇幅短、字數少。所以在刪繁就簡的過程中，不能隻是一味追求簡短，隻要某個英文單詞確實能起到一定的作用，它就應該留在句中。試比較以下幾組句子，體會修改前後的效果差異。
Wordy: Liu Bin is employed at a T.V. station working as a news reporter.
Better: ① Liu Bin works at a T.V. station as a news reporter.
② Liu Bin is a news reporter at a T.V. station.
③ Liu Bin is a T.V. news reporter.
原句中的is employed為被動語態，且與working as意義重複，可進行合並。一般情況下，主動語態表意更為直接和清晰，因此這裏使用主動語態更好，具體修改見句①。如果調整語序，先表明“a news reporter”的身份，則可以省去動詞work，使句子進一步簡化，詳見句②。進一步看，“at a T.V. station （在電視台工作）”和“as a news reporter （做新聞記者）”在意思上還有重合的部分，可進一步“刪繁就簡”，合並為“a T.V. news reporter”，詳見句③。
Wordy: Sun Hong is determined in her mind to lose weight.
Better: Sun Hong is determined to lose weight.
原句中的determine一詞本身已經有“下定決心”的意思，不需要再加in her mind。類似的還有postpone our meeting until later，postpone一詞本身就有“延後”的意思，不需要再加until later。還有在句子“My car is a foreign import, not home-made.”中，import一詞表示“進口，引進”，那麼肯定是從國外引進，所以這個詞本身已經包含了foreign的意思，故改為“My car is an import, not home-made.”
Wordy: This book will help you master the basic elements of good writing.
Better: This book will help you master the basics of good writing.
同上組例句一樣，原句中的問題在於basic elements這兩個詞意義有重合之處，直接簡化為basics即可，類似的還有fundamental principles和essential components，可分別改為名詞fundamentals和essentials。
Wordy: Dr. Sun Yat-sen went to Japan by means of a big boat.
Better: Dr. Sun Yat-sen went to Japan by boat.
原句中的詞組by means of意為“用，依靠”，在表達“使用某種交通工具”的意思時，等同於介詞by，因此by means of a big boat可簡化成by boat，類似表達還有by car、by bus等。
Wordy: It makes me feel painful to think that she has to work 12 hours a day and seven days a week.
Better: It pains me to think that she has to work 12 hours a day and seven days a week.
短句結構“it makes sb. feel +形容詞”中，形容詞可用其動詞形式來替換，表達為“it +及物動詞+ sb.”，即原句中的it makes me feel painful可表達為it pains me，以使句式更為簡潔。類似的結構還有很多，如it makes me sad/cheerful，分別可表達為it saddens/cheers me。
Wordy: It will be our aim to ensure proper health care for each and every one of the Chinese people.
Better: Our aim is to ensure proper health care for all Chinese.
原句中有兩處不夠簡潔的地方，一是it will be our aim沒有必要使用將來時態，“aim （目標）”本身就隱含了將來的意義，因此直接用一般現在時即可，而且our aim可以直接作主語，沒必要再使用it作形式主語，因此可將此部分改為our aim is。類似這種表達還有it is our position，可改為our position is；it is my proposal that可改為my proposal is that，或者直接將名詞轉換為動詞形式，如I propose that。二是each and every one表示“每一個人、全體”時多用於強調，而此處並不需要這種強調效果，反而顯得冗餘，可用表示整體的all來代替，使句式更為簡潔。
Wordy: The search of the forest that they conducted was entirely complete.
Better: ① The search of the forest was complete.
② They conducted a complete search of the forest.
原句存在兩個問題，一是the search of the forest不需要再加動詞conducted；二是修飾詞entirely多餘，complete本身已經含有“完全的”之意，再加entirely則意思重複了。有兩種改法，一是刪去這兩處多餘的部分，如句①；二是將被動語態改為主動語態，如句②。類似的句子還有the task that they performed was completely finished，可改為the task was complete或they finished the task。
Wordy: He has no sense of principles, whether he is in public or in private.
Better: He has no principles, public or private.
一提到“……感”或“……意識”，大多數中國學生的第一感覺就是將其譯為“sense of ”，如原句中的no sense of principles （沒有原則）。事實上，要想句子更加簡潔，我們可以去掉sense of，直接表達為no principles。另外，原句中的後半句whether he is in public or in private可進行簡化，直接表述為public or private。類似這樣的結構還有whether in white or in black，可簡化為black or white；或whether in theory or in practice，可簡化為in theory or in practice。
Wordy: In a cautious manner the car went around the corner.
Better: ① The car went around the corner cautiously.
② The car negotiated the corner.
原句中的介詞短語in a cautious manner可用一個介詞cautiously代替，意思相同且更為簡潔。另外，“went around …… cautiously”可進一步簡化，用一個詞negotiated代替。這個詞除了常見的“談判、協商”之意外，口語中還可表示“順利通過”之意。
Wordy: Another important aspect is good health. It is one of our great blessings. It may be achieved through proper diet and exercise. Rest is also desirable.
Better: The great blessing of good health may be achieved through proper diet, exercise, and rest.
分析原句的句子結構可以發現，原句中多個單句其實相互之間關係十分緊密，完全可以用從句來連接，省去it is、it may be等，不僅使句子更加簡潔，邏輯關係也更為緊湊。
Wordy: Whenever anyone telephoned her to ask her for help with their homework she obliged right away.
Better: She immediately obliged anyone who telephoned for help with homework.
一般情況下，由whenever/when之類引導的狀語從句往往可以簡化，辦法之一是直接刪去從句，將主語提至句首，如修改後的句子。另一個辦法就是保留引導詞when/whenever，但省略從句的主語，如“When the watermelons are fully grown, they can weigh ten pounds”可改為“When fully grown, the watermelons can weigh ten pounds”，也能達到簡化句子的效果。
Wordy: If the government agency finds that an individual has received a payment to which the individual was not entitled, whether or not the payment was due to the individual’s fault or misrepresentation, the individual shall be liable to repay to the government the total sum of the payment to which the individual was not entitled.
Better: If the government agency finds that you received a payment that you weren’t entitled to, you must pay the entire sum back.