A word for editing a sentence to make it flow better without necessarily changing the vocabulary. [closed]
I am looking for a word that encapsulates the idea of editing a sentence to make it sound more cohesive, compact and concise.
e.g. "We need to meet on the 11th to discuss our project and afterwards discuss dinner plans together. Then if there is time can we also talk about Jim?"
to
"We need to meet on the 11th to discuss our project, dinner plans and Jim."
Sorry about a poor example. Is this just called 'Editing'?
As an editor, I use the word "recast" to convey this specific meaning, but that usage may be specific to the publishing industry or Australia. From the Macquarie Dictionary:
recast
to cast again or anew.
to provide a new or altered cast for (a play, etc.).
to form, fashion, or arrange again.
to remodel or reconstruct (a literary work, a document, a sentence, etc.).
Writers I've worked with tend to use rework, as in "let's rework that sentence, it's much too verbose."
rework, v.: to change something such as a computer program or a piece of writing in order to improve it
For what it's worth, I think I've always been using 'rephrase' in this case:
Express (an idea or question) in an alternative way, especially for the purpose of clarification.
‘rephrase the statement so that it is clear’
From Oxford Dictionaries.
tighten up (okay, it's a phrasal verb rather than a single word)