Identify the phrase you need to change. Think about what makes it problematic. It may be too wordy, or perhaps you've used the phrase earlier in your paper and you need to find a different way to express your idea.
Read the sentence to determine the phrase's function. The woman's description in the sentence "The woman with the expensive dress, fancy shoes and diamond jewelry approached the man" tells the reader something about her. However, it is awkward and wordy.
Look for alternative ways of making your point. For example, "impeccably dressed" means perfectly dressed, which implies shoes and at least somewhat expensive clothes. Paired with diamond jewelry, an impeccable outfit would not be cheap but clean and well-coordinated. Therefore, the description in Step 2 can be rewritten more concisely to say, "The impeccably dressed woman's diamond jewelry glistened as she approached the man."
Use a thesaurus to find new ways of saying overused words and phrases. Changing a key word or two often sufficiently reduces redundancy in your writing. You might tend to overuse "can," for instance. "Be capable of" and "be equal to" are both synonyms for "can," but because they have different connotations, they make your writing more specific. A thesaurus offers multiple alternatives, several of which might more specifically communicate your idea.
Focus on imagery in your writing. Think about what the reader sees as she hears your words in her mind. Vague or imprecise words, such as "good" or "things." are difficult to imagine. Replacing them with more specific words, such as "amazing" or "book collection" draws the reader into your writing and helps her understand your message.
Examine clauses in your writing. Look for "that," "who" or "which" as cues to modifying clauses that might be better included in your original phrase. Replace phrases like "the man who was first" with "the first man" or "the girls who were in middle school" with "the middle-school girls" for a more concise sentence structure.