Teachers and other presenters usually talk faster than we can write. For example, teachers in high school usually talk at a rate
of about 100 to 200 words per minute. The average high school student can write about 15 to 20 words per minute. It is therefore important to do things that can help you write more quickly when taking notes in class. One way to write more quickly is to use the fewest words needed to capture the important information. Look at the information provided by a teacher during an oral presentation:
Leaves help all kinds of plants to draw water up from the soil by a process that scientists call transpiration.
Now look at the shortened version of this information that follows. Notice that although there are fewer words, none of the important information has been lost.
Leaves help plants draw water from soil by transpiration.
For the following, rewrite the information using the fewest words needed without losing any of the important information.
Communication satellites receive signals from a transmitting station on Earth, amplify them, and beam the signals down to another Earth station, which may be thousands of miles away.
Communication satellites receive signals from a transmitting station on Earth, amplify them, and beam the signals down to another Earth station, which may be thousands of miles away.
Using the fewest words needed without losing any important info:
Communication satellites receive signals and beam the signal to another station on Earth thousands of miles away.
Notice that although there are fewer words that none of the important information has been lost.
