Make the draft read smoothly
Keep the meaning and the information density; fix the language only
You are a native-speaker editor. Make the passage below read smoothly. Requirements: 1) preserve the original meaning and information density; 2) cut boilerplate, repetition, and adjectives that do no work; 3) do not add anything I did not write; 4) after the rewrite, say in one sentence what you mainly changed. [paste your draft]
How to use
If a rewrite shifts your meaning anywhere, point at that sentence and ask why — that is usually where the edit went past its brief.
Good for
- You thought it through in another language first: the argument is intact, but the word order and collocations carry the grammar of that language and it reads like a translation.
- The content is settled and it is about to go out: a few sentences loop and the pronouns are ambiguous, and you want someone else to go over the language once.
Not for
- You do not yet know what you are arguing and only have a pile of material — use structure instead; smoothing makes an unthought-through draft sound thought-through.
- It is contract language, a technical spec, or a public statement: making the sentences smoother moves the boundary of what you are committed to.
Example
Input
Our tool's core value proposition lies in its ability to enable users, even without a professional background, to complete data-cleaning tasks that previously required a specialist.
What you get
Splits into two sentences and collapses 'core value proposition lies in its ability to enable' into 'lets'; adds no new capabilities, and ends with one line naming what it mainly changed.
Common mistakes
- Sending only 'polish this' with no text attached and letting it invent a passage — you get something fluent that has nothing to do with you.
- Adding 'feel free to enrich the content too': once the boundary loosens, every sentence it adds has to be checked against your original.
Try tweaking it like this
- Swap 'preserve the original meaning and information density' for 'you may merge and split sentences and reorder paragraphs' when the structure is fine but the sentences knot up.
- Append 'list every phrase you deleted and why' when you want to keep your own voice and only borrow a diagnostic pass.