10 Overused Words in Writing
All words are good words. Some, however, are overused without adding value to what you write. As a result, they reduce the readers' interest, make text seem redundant, and cause the writer to appear amateurish.
We have created a list of 10 overused words, based on the documents we have edited over the last 5 years. We don't recommend that you remove these words from your writing. Instead, we recommend that you become aware of how often you use them and that you revise your documents to limit their use.
1. There
When writers are not sure about the subjects of their sentences, they will often use this word as the subject. This results in weak writing. (For advice on correcting this problem, see our article "Where Is There?")
Example: "There was no one at home." This can be revised as "No one was at home."
2. You
Writers often use this word when referring to general or reoccurring situations. "You" rarely refers to the reader and should be avoided.
Example: "Our grandmother was nice. She always gave you candy." This can be revised as "Our grandmother was nice. She always gave us candy."
3. If
Although "if" is a fine word, it is overused by writers trying to describe options and thought processes.
Example: "If she took the bus, she wouldn't have time to stop by the grocery store." This can be revised as "Taking the bus would leave her too little time to stop by the grocery store."
4. When
Readers realize that actions can occur at the same time, which is what the word "when" indicates. Thus, "when" is usually unnecessary.
Example: "When she opened the door, she saw blood on the floor." This can be revised as "She opened the door and saw the blood on the floor." Some writers use "when" to describe actions that cannot occur at the same time, as in "When she woke up, she made coffee." Actually, she first wakes up and then makes the coffee. This can be revised as "She woke up and made the coffee."
5. As
We once worked on a book in which the author used this word repeatedly to describe the timing of actions, often 3 or 4 times in one paragraph.
Example: "He was shouting ‘Follow me!' as he ran down the road." This can be revised as "He ran down the road shouting ‘Follow me!' "
6. Very
Mark Twain made this comment about using "very": "Substitute ‘damn' every time you're inclined to write ‘very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." "Very" is a crutch for finding the right word to describe what you mean to say. Find the right word.
Example: "He was very old." This can be revised as "He was ancient."
Also, in this example, you can simply write, "He was old," and then provide text to further explain what you mean by "old." For example, you could write, "He was old. He walked hesitantly, knowing that his brittle bones would surely break were he to stumble over an unseen obstacle."
7. Really
Generally, this word can be removed without changing the meaning of a sentence. Anything that is true is also really true.
Example: "He was really nervous about speaking in public." This can be revised as "He was nervous about speaking in public." To show a greater degree, use a different word, as in "He was panicky about speaking in public" or "Public speaking scared him."
8. Am/Is/Are/Was/Were ("to be" verbs)
Action verbs are always preferable to state-of-being verbs. Use words that describe the action occurring. Rather than saying what something/someone is, show the reader what something/someone does.
Example: "I am envious of her success." This can be revised as "I envy her success."
Example: "She was dressed in leather chaps and a flannel shirt." This can be revised as "She wore leather chaps and a flannel shirt."
9. So
See #7. "So" is also overused as a conjunction.
Example: "Her face was inches from his own, so he leaned forward and kissed her." This can be revised as "Her face was inches from his own. He leaned forward and kissed her."
10. Because
This word is overused to provide explanations. To fix this, use the word "and" with action verbs.
Example: "He wanted to go to the fair because his friends would be there." This can be revised as "He wanted to go to the fair and meet with his friends."
Example: "I want to leave because I am tired." This can be revised as "I'm tired and want to leave."
Related Tags: article, writing, marketing, copywriting, article writing, grammar, english, copy, writing help, editor, editing, edit, proofreading, proofread, usage error, usage errors, copy editing
David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Making Money With Articles: Article Directories
Each and each article has the owners byline placed under it in order that those that eventually stud - Why Hire An Essay Writing Service?
Essay writing is often a frightening task for any student. No matter how hard they try, there is alw - How To Write Content That Gets You Followers
1 You must help people. Your content basically needs to either give step by step methods or increase - How To Get High Exposure On Your Articles
The dream of every article writer who uses his or her articles for website promotion and traffic gen - Writing Good Articles: How And Why Of Good Article Writing
Article writing is quickly becoming one of the most sought after services on the Internet. Blog owne - Choosing The Websites To Publish Your Articles
Since it takes hours to write a good article, take a good care of your creation when it is finished. - Let Google Refine Your Content For Relevance
You have started a new project and the niche you selected looks promising. The theme words you will - Learn Article Marketing-articles Can Enhance Your Online Business
Writing well-targeted articles to run in ezines is fast becoming the most effective way to market th - Content Creation, Free Of Charge And Simple Ways To Get Higher Web-site Ranking
Article marketing will still always be the particular favored personal choice of Internet Marketers - Career Launcher Dares You To Challenge Cat
Career Launcher is a premier preparation centre for Common Admission Test (CAT). Career Launcher is
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Ever Ready on the Pyla Plateau, Larnaca District, Cyprus
Pyla, Plateau, Cyprus The shift starts 12 midnight exactly, our comrades woke us up at 11.45, and we - How to Write Articles on the Right Topic
Most beginners at writing have a problem deciding how to write articles on the right topic. They w - Rewriting Other Authors' Online Articles and Why You Should Not Waste Your Time
So often in the online article marketing venue we find folks rewriting other authors articles and re - Rewriting or Plagiarism; Where Do We Draw the Line?
Not long ago our Online Think Tank had discussed why so much plagiarism was going on in the research - The Brahman of Web Marketing I
The Brahman of Web Marketing I There are seven main strategies of Web Marketing. They are - Why Your Article Resource Box Is Important
So what really is a resource box? Well, it's a short bio of the author you find at the bottom of an - Article Writing, Free And Easy Ways To Get Higher Website Rank
Article writing will still be the favorite choice of Internet Marketers in the years ahead. We have - The Written Word
Writing articles requires a special talent. These types of documents can be related to any topic. - Article Writing - How to Write a Compelling Bio That Gets Clicks
One of the most important things in writing a compelling bio is to immediately, while the reader is - Alarm on Pyla Plateau, Pyla, Cyprus
The following nights, days we keep to our routines, 6 hours duty 6 hours readiness and sleep. If the