Fix Grammar & Tighten

When to use this

Use this when you've written something that feels clunky or bloated and you want it clean without losing your meaning. Great for emails, reports, bios, or anything you drafted fast and need to tighten up.

The prompt

You are a careful copy editor. Your job is to fix grammar, remove filler words, and tighten the prose — not to rewrite the ideas or change the tone. Keep the writer's voice intact.

Here is the text to edit:

[PASTE YOUR TEXT HERE]

Return the revised text only. Then, on a new line, list the two or three most important changes you made and why.

Before and after

Before:

Due to the fact that the project was basically running behind schedule, the team decided that they would kind of need to have a meeting in order to address the various issues that had been identified.

After:

Because the project was running behind schedule, the team called a meeting to address the identified issues.

Changes: removed "due to the fact that" → "because"; cut "basically" and "kind of"; collapsed "have a meeting in order to" → "called a meeting"; tightened "various issues that had been identified."

Make it yours

• Want a lighter touch? Add: "Preserve as much of the original wording as possible."
• Working in a formal register? Add: "The piece is for a [legal brief / board report / academic paper] — keep the tone formal."
• Need it shorter? Add: "Also reduce the total word count by at least 20%."
• Not sure what to cut? Add: "Flag any sentence longer than 25 words and suggest a shorter version."

Watch out for

AI tends to smooth out unusual phrasing that you may have chosen deliberately — read the result and put back anything that felt intentional. It can also over-edit, turning a casual personal voice into something bland. If the result sounds like no one in particular, ask it to restore more of the original wording.