说起MBA Essay，即便是写作功底再深厚的申请人，想要在字数限制之内创作出一篇高水准的文章，也绝对是一件极具挑战性的事。保证内容精彩的同时，还要做到语言精练，遣词造句真的需要再三斟酌。
很多MBA申请人都会遇到这样的情况：在essay写作完成后，经过修改润色过几稿，明明内容已经“删无可删”，却还是超出了学校规定的字数限制，绞尽脑汁也不知道该如何对现有版本继续修改。其实有的时候，对个别词句的表达进行一下替换，问题就会迎刃而解。
在今天的文章中，我们就为大家介绍几个词句替换的小窍门，让你在不改变文章原意的基础上，轻轻松松把字数降下来，说不定还能让英文表达更加地道呢！
be able to
"be able to"是大家在写作时特别爱用的一个短语，但是在英语中，有用词更少但意思不变的表达方式，比如一般现在时语境下的"can"和将来时的"will"，替换后可以节省出2-3个字数的篇幅。让我们通过实例感受一下：
Because of my strong communication skills,I am able to close more deals than others.(15字)
Because of my strong communication skills,I can close more deals than others.(13字)
With the founding,my business will be able to expand into new areas.(13字)
With the founding,my business will expand into new areas.(10字)
decided to
如果在Essay中提到自己或他人所做的决定，应该简略描述做出决定的过程，重点突出最终的结果。在进行这方面内容的写作时，大家多会选择"decided to"这样的短语，不过为了节省字数，可以直接选用其他动词：
Once I saw the contract,I decided to call my boss.(11字)
Once I saw the contract,I called my boss.(9字)
My supervisor decided to promote me first.(7字)
My supervisor promoted me first.(5字)
prior to/in advance of
如果在Essay中描述事件发生的先后顺序，很多申请人会选择使用"prior to"或者"in advance of"之类的短语，但这样的表达方式稍显刻意，而且还会占用文字空间，不如直接使用"before"作为代替：
The club director called all the contracted sponsors in advance of the meeting.(13字)
The club director called all the contracted sponsors before the meeting.(11字)
despite the fact that
"despite the fact that..."这样的短语实在是有些累赘，英文中能够表达同样语义的短语有很多，可以考虑用"even though"进行替换。
I was excluded from the promotion despite the fact that I had spent more hours to the project.(18字)
I was excluded from the promotion even though I had spent more hours to the project.(16字)
in order to/in order for
其实说白了，在表达目的的语境下，"in order"的短语表达对于连接的事件结果没有任何实质意义。与其占用篇幅，不如直接选择使用"to"或者"for"，不光言简意赅，还更加地道。
I had to get up three hours early in order to get to the office on time.(17字)
I had to get up three hours early to get to the office on time.(15字)
I knew that in order for my team to stay on budget,I needed to find a better distributor.(19字)
I knew that for my team to stay on budget,I needed to find a better distributor.(17字)
以上语句替换的小技巧你get到了吗？尝试将更简练的表达方式运用到Essay中，不光能够节省字数，还可以使文章结构和内容更为紧凑。当然，以上例句只是为大家提供思路，具体实操，还是要靠自己在写作过程中总结发挥啊！ |
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