For Best Results, Rake Twice

Title Graphic_For Best Results, Rake Twice

WordRake’s complex algorithms are contextual—that’s what makes its editing suggestions so powerful and accurate. The algorithms operate using signals and triggers. So when you “rake” a document and accept changes or otherwise edit the document, the available signals and triggers change. When you “rake” a second time, WordRake might make additional editing suggestions your new wording revealed.

You’ll notice a few things when you “rake” twice:

1. Number of edits will differ from first “rake” to second “rake”

rake twice

When WordRake finishes analyzing your document, it will show you how many sentences were analyzed and how many editing suggestions are available. The first “rake” will have more suggestions than the second “rake.”

What if you had an in-house editor at your fingertips?

WordRake enables you to create precise, highly polished writing.

It’s easy! Try it now.
section-banner-img

2. Cuts filler words from the same sentence

filler

WordRake prioritizes the application of its rules and works to avoid creating bad edits. If too many edits are applied at once to a single sentence, it could change meaning. WordRake avoids those situations during its first review, meaning more edits become available when you “rake” a second time that weren’t available before. For example, in the first “rake,” WordRake suggests changing wordy phrases “the filing of” to “filing” and “in support of” to “to support.” It also suggests deleting “set forth.” In the second “rake,” WordRake can now suggest deleting “in detail.” Both “rakes” made the final paragraph tighter and clearer.

3. Cuts needless modifiers from the same sentence

modifiers

WordRake first converts dull nominalizations to active verbs, then it looks for needless modifiers. In this example, “conducted a thorough analysis” becomes “thoroughly analyzed,” which retains meaning and the author’s original modifier. When “raked” a second time, WordRake suggests removing “thoroughly” because your phrasing of the rest of the sentence now indicates it’s unnecessary.

4. Uncovers more nuanced edits that change a word’s form

To maintain the integrity of the original text, WordRake will not suggest editing the same part of a sentence twice at the same time. In its first analysis, WordRake looks for empty lead-ins and throat-clearing words and phrases--which are plentiful in business writing--and obscure more nuanced edits that could make a document more concise. In the first “rake,” WordRake suggests deleting “in fact.” Once that edit is accepted, WordRake can determine “the entirety of” is wordy. In the second “rake,” WordRake recommends shortening the cumbersome phrase “the entirety of the” to “the entire.”

Conclusion

As professionals, our words matter. But after hours of creating, it’s hard to switch to cutting. And that’s exactly what editing requires: the ability to recognize words and phrases that detract from our message and meaning. Even after several rounds of self-editing, unnecessary words remain. Most writers won’t notice them—but your readers will.

That’s why you should use WordRake—twice. WordRake ripples through your document, suggesting edits in-line. It uses complex, patented algorithms to find useless words, dull phrases, weak lead-ins, clichés, and high-level grammatical problems. Its suggested edits appear in the familiar track-changes style. Decide which edits you like, then run WordRake again for more suggestions!

Download your free trial and see how “raking” twice can improve your work.

About the Author

Ivy B. Grey is the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for WordRake. Prior to joining the team, she practiced bankruptcy law for ten years. In 2020, Ivy was recognized as an Influential Woman in Legal Tech by ILTA. She has also been recognized as a Fastcase 50 Honoree and included in the Women of Legal Tech list by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center. Follow Ivy on Twitter @IvyBGrey or connect with her on LinkedIn.

What if you had an in-house editor at your fingertips?

WordRake enables you to create precise, highly polished writing.

It’s easy! Try it now.

Our Story

demo_poster_play
WordRake founder Gary Kinder has taught over 1,000 writing programs for AMLAW 100 firms, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies. He’s also a New York Times bestselling author. As a writing expert and coach, Gary was inspired to create WordRake when he noticed a pattern in writing errors that he thought he could address with technology.

In 2012, Gary and his team of engineers created WordRake editing software to help writers produce clear, concise, and effective prose. It runs in Microsoft Word and Outlook, and its suggested changes appear in the familiar track-changes style. It saves time and gives confidence. Writing and editing has never been easier.