When editing client copy for clarity and conciseness, one of the first things I cut is the overuse of . . . well . . . of.
Take these examples:
- I tore the sleeve of my coat.
- Have you seen all the plays of Shakespeare?
- Yesterday, I tried on the most luxurious dress of silk.
- The population of Canada is just over 36 million.
- I’m in love with the shape of you.
- In each of the previous instances, I had cherry stains on my fingers.
In each example, you can eliminate of and still maintain the intended meaning.
- I tore my coat’s sleeve.
- Have you seen all Shakespeare’s plays?
- Yesterday, I tried on the most luxurious silk dress.
- Canada’s population is just over 36 million.
- I’m in love with your shape.
- In each previous instance, I had cherry stains on my fingers.
Overusing of seems to be particularly abundant when speaking in the possessive, and that can often be fixed with an apostrophe and an S.
So, the next time you need to cut down your word count, do a find and replace for of, and see if there’s a way to get rid of . . . of.