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24 February 2013, 10:39pm

WritersDiet Test Results

Your overall score

Flabby
verbs
nouns
prepositions
adjectives/adverbs
it, this, that, there

Needs toning
Needs toning
Needs toning
Heart attack
Lean

Suggestions for improvement

Your writing sample contains a relatively high proportion of be-verbs, abstract nouns,
prepositions and adjectives/adverbs. To pep up stodgy prose, follow The Writers Diet principles
below, paying special attention to the items highlighted in yellow below.

Key principles
Verbal verve
Limit be-verbs (is, was, are, were, be, been) to no more than a few per paragraph. Favor strong,
specific, robust action verbs (scrutinize, dissect, capture) over weak, vague, lazy ones (have, do,
show). Steer clear of passive verb constructions (it has been demonstrated) except when used for
stylistic effect.

Noun density
Anchor abstract ideas in concrete language and illustrate theoretical concepts using real-life
examples. (Show, dont just tell!) Avoid overdependence on nominalizations: long,
important-sounding nouns formed from verbs or adjectives (overdependence, nominalizations,
pretentiousness).

Prepositional podge
Avoid long strings of prepositional phrases, especially when they drive nouns and verbs apart
("The principle of keeping nouns and verbs as close to each other as possible for the benefit of
readers has many benefits").

Ad-dictions
Employ adjectives and adverbs only when they contribute new information to a sentence; get
your nouns and verbs to do most of your descriptive work.

Waste words: it, this, that, there

Employ it and this only when you can state exactly what noun each word refers to; avoid using
that more than once in a single sentence or three times in a paragraph, except in parallel

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24 February 2013, 10:39pm

constructions; and beware of sweeping generalizations that begin with There.

Important: The WritersDiet Test offers an automated diagnosis, not a subtle stylistic analysis or
a prescriptive personal judgment. For best results, use the test together with The Writers Diet
(Sword 2007), which discusses stylistic nuances and exceptions that the WritersDiet Test cannot
address.
Text excerpted from H. Sword (2007) The Writers Diet Pearson Education NZ.

Your sample
Your sample has 236 words.
The skill of being a good reader is constantly emphasized in contemporary educational systems,
and with good reason: reading is something everyone will be doing for the rest of their lives, and
being able to do so properly would therefore result in success. Reading, at least in developed
countries, is taught at an early age in schools. In order to progress through school, being able to
read correctly is an essential skill, seeing how everything that will be assigned as well as any sort
of intellectual evaluation will require analysis by means of reading. Being able to analyze the
information contained in these assignments properly (aka being a "good reader") will result in
academic success, which, in the long run generally results in financial success. In school,
whether it be primary ,secondary, or even college, and in any career, being able to read properly
is a useful skill. Being a good reader means being able to take note of whats important when
reading. Being able to do this allows for easier retention of necessary information, as all the
unnecessary information can be ignored. This ability allows for a more efficient workflow,
which can aid someone when studying for a test in school or when reading about job offers, just
to name a few examples. In summation, being a good reader facilitates all aspects of an
individuals working life. The ability to isolate important information from unimportant
information makes work more efficient.