Keep detail relevant and language deliberate
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
During rehearsal, Jo became digressive when a question about the screen led her into a long story about a train journey. The tutor invited her to expatiate on the design decision instead, since the audience needed a fuller explanation of why she grouped certain messages together. Jo also reconsidered her diction, replacing vague expressions such as nice arrangement with more precise descriptions. She kept one short travel reference only because it directly illustrated the problem her design was intended to address.
At the seminar, Jo could expatiate on the grouping decision without losing the structure of her talk. Her discussion was detailed, but it was no longer digressive because each example returned to the same design question. Careful diction helped listeners distinguish a message's position from its importance, two ideas that her earlier wording had blurred. The tutor's feedback therefore separated three issues: how much Jo said, whether it remained relevant, and which words she chose to express it.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.