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Clarity Mississippi

Suggest improvements for the highlighted problem area:

Bob and Evelyn Louque chose to spend their summer vacation on the Mississippi because it represents the biggest river in North America. From Lake Itasca in northeast Minnesota, they paddled their canoe all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, a 3,700 mile journey.

Along the way they employed their wits to survive, camping on the shore and fishing for food. Safety was an important concern. Evelyn often referred to her river map that illustrated danger areas.

After many days and nights on the river, they spent a relaxing evening in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Several days later they arrived at the Head of the Passes, where the river breaks out into bayou channels in the Mississippi delta. They were tired but sad that their journey would soon terminate.

Answer:

- Be Direct With Your Verbs -

A second dynamic verb weights down a sentence in our opening paragraphs:

    Along the way they employed their wits to survive, camping on the shore and fishing for food.

To avoid associations with the concept of gainful work, we could substitute the lean verb use:

    Along the way they used their wits to survive, camping on the shore and fishing for food.

 

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