I [told it to] -> I [told] Leo

Unnecessary words hide in prepositions, duplicate objects, and filler phrases. The classic case-"I told it to Leo"-repeats the object; tighten it to "I told Leo."

Below: short rules, quick checks, and many before/after examples you can reuse for work, school, and casual writing - plus hyphenation, spacing, and grammar notes to avoid editing mistakes.

Quick answer

If a word or phrase doesn't change meaning, emphasis, or clarity, cut it. Prefer one clear object form and drop hedges and repeating prepositional phrases.

If both a pronoun and a noun appear for the same object, keep one: "I told Leo" or "I told it to Leo," not both.
Drop filler hedges unless they carry tone or required caution: choose "I think" or "in my opinion," not both.
Read edits aloud: if the shorter sentence says the same thing, use it.

Core explanation: common patterns that create wordiness

Three frequent causes: duplicate objects (noun + pronoun), redundant prepositions, and filler hedges. Once you can spot each, trimming becomes routine.

Duplicate object: "I told it to Leo" → remove the pronoun or the prepositional object.
Redundant preposition: "attached to this email" → usually "attached" suffices.
Filler phrases: "in my opinion," "that I think," "basically" are often removable.

Wrong: I told it to Leo.
Right: I told Leo.

Real usage: when to keep extra words for tone or clarity

Keep extra words only when they change tone, add emphasis, or prevent ambiguity. Business and academic writing favor concision; conversation and narrative allow natural redundancy.

Use reflexives for emphasis: "She told me herself."
Keep a prepositional phrase when reordering would confuse: "I gave the instructions to the interns" (if "the interns" is heavily modified).
Retain a word if removing it narrows scope or changes focus.

Rewrite help: a short editing process you can copy

Identify the verb and its object(s).
Ask: Is there a duplicated object or filler phrase?
Choose one object form or remove filler; rephrase if meaning shifts.
Read aloud and check punctuation and spacing after deletions.

For ditransitive verbs, pick either: verb + indirect object + direct object ("I gave John the book") OR verb + direct object + to + indirect object ("I gave the book to John").
Drop optional "that": "I think (that) the test was fair" → "I think the test was fair."

Rewrite:
Original: "I'm going to be going to the store at 5 pm to buy some milk."
Rewrite: "I'm going to the store at 5 p.m. to buy milk."
Rewrite:
Original: "He sent the email to me via email yesterday."
Rewrite: "He emailed me yesterday."
Rewrite:
Original: "I was able to manage to finish the report."
Rewrite: "I finished the report."

Examples: categorized wrong/right pairs you can copy

Use these pairs as templates. Substitute names, objects, or dates while keeping the concise structure.

Work

Wrong: Please find attached to this email the agenda for the meeting.
Right: Attached is the meeting agenda.
Wrong: I will reach out to you via email tomorrow to schedule a meeting.
Right: I'll email you tomorrow to schedule a meeting.
Wrong: I sent it to Sarah in Marketing yesterday.
Right: I sent Sarah in Marketing the file yesterday. (or "I sent the file to Sarah in Marketing yesterday" to emphasize the file)

School

Wrong: In my opinion, I think the conclusion is valid.
Right: I think the conclusion is valid.
Wrong: The study, which was conducted by our team, shows...
Right: Our study shows...
Wrong: I submitted the assignment to the portal online.
Right: I submitted the assignment to the portal.

Casual

Wrong: I told it to him yesterday.
Right: I told him yesterday.
Wrong: She herself personally cooked dinner.
Right: She cooked dinner herself. (or "She cooked dinner.")
Wrong: I'm going to go check it out now.
Right: I'm going to check it out now.

Memory trick: a quick checklist to spot wordiness

Use D-F-P: Duplicate, Filler, Preposition. Run this checklist for any suspicious phrase.

Duplicate: noun + pronoun pairs (I told it to Leo).
Filler: hedges and intensifiers ("that", "basically", "in my opinion").
Preposition: repeated object info ("to this email").

Usage: D-F-P on "I told it to her" → Duplicate detected. Change to "I told her."

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence in context; the surrounding text often makes the right edit obvious.

Hyphenation notes

Removing words can change whether a compound needs a hyphen. If a compound adjective precedes a noun, hyphenate; if it follows, usually no hyphen.

"long-term solution" (adjective before noun) vs "the solution is long term" (predicate).
After removing a modifier, confirm whether the remaining phrase now functions as a compound adjective.

Spacing and punctuation when you delete words

When you remove a parenthetical phrase or clause, remove surrounding punctuation if it isn't needed. Deletions often leave double spaces or orphaned commas-do a quick pass to fix them.

If you remove "in my opinion," also remove its commas when they aren't needed.
Replace double spaces created by deletion with a single space.
After deleting an introductory phrase, check whether the following comma is still required.

Usage: Before: "The study, in my opinion, shows..." After: "The study shows..."

Grammar notes: structural causes of redundancy

Ditransitive verbs (give, tell, send, offer) accept either the double-object construction ("I gave John the book") or the prepositional construction ("I gave the book to John"). Avoid combining a pronoun and a noun for the same object.

Relative clauses and "that" can often be tightened: "the idea that he proposed" → "his idea" or "his proposal," depending on meaning.

Don't write both a pronoun and a full noun for the same object: "I told it to Leo" → choose one object form.
Shorten weak "that" clauses when they don't add meaning.
Keep words that carry tense, aspect, or necessary clarity; remove only optional modifiers.

Wrong: I gave it to Mark the book.
Right: I gave Mark the book.

Similar mistakes: common pleonasms and tautologies

Pleonasms repeat meaning; tautologies and redundant intensifiers add emphasis but not new information. One-word replacements usually fix them.

"close proximity" → "proximity"; "free gift" → "gift".
"each and every" → "each" or "every"; "basic fundamentals" → "fundamentals".
"completely finished" → "finished"; "absolutely essential" → "essential".

Wrong: The end result was obvious.
Right: The result was obvious.

FAQ

Is "I told it to him" grammatically wrong?

It's grammatical but often wordy. Prefer "I told him" or "I told it to him." Use both forms only for emphasis or clarity.

When should I keep filler phrases like "in my opinion"?

Keep them only if they add necessary distance, soften a claim, or meet disciplinary convention. Otherwise delete them for a stronger sentence.

Will grammar checkers catch all unnecessary words?

They catch many common fillers and duplicates but can miss context-sensitive cases or suggest removals that change tone. Review suggestions manually.

How do I decide between "I gave John the book" and "I gave the book to John"?

Choose "I gave John the book" for short, natural phrasing. Choose "I gave the book to John" when the direct object is long or when you want to emphasize the book.

What's a quick exercise to get better at trimming?

Edit three short paragraphs a day focusing on duplicates, filler words, and unnecessary prepositions. Use D-F-P and read before/after versions aloud.

Try trimming one sentence now

Paste a sentence into a proofreading tool to surface duplicate objects and filler phrases. Use D-F-P to decide which suggestions to accept.

Draft freely, then do one focused pass to remove unnecessary words - it preserves voice while sharpening clarity.