{"id":1499,"date":"2015-12-02T13:51:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-02T08:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writing-geeks.com\/?p=1499"},"modified":"2017-10-13T15:01:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-13T09:31:18","slug":"words-to-avoid-while-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/words-to-avoid-while-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Words To Avoid While Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Words To Avoid While Writing
\n<\/span><\/h2>\n

Words To Avoid While Writing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Writing is a combination of art and craft. The art comes from lots of reading, talking, thinking, dreaming, and writing. The craft is primarily technique. Some techniques are complex, but a few are very simple and will instantly strengthen your writing. In many cases, however, strengthening writing simply means avoiding those things that weaken it. We have identified 10 words that nearly always weaken writing. In no particular order, they are as follows.<\/p>\n

1. Just:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0The word “just” is a filler word that weakens your writing. Removing it rarely affects meaning, but rather, the deletion tightens a sentence.<\/p>\n

2. Really:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Using the word “really” is an example of writing the way you talk. It’s a verbal emphasis that doesn’t translate perfectly into text. In conversation, people use the word frequently, but in written content it’s unnecessary. Think about the difference between saying a rock is “hard” and “really hard,” for example. What does the word add? Better to cut it out to make your message stronger.<\/p>\n

3. Very:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Everything that applies to “really” applies to “very.” It’s a weak word. Cut it.<\/p>\n

\u00a04. Perhaps\/maybe:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Do you want your audience to think you’re uncertain about what you’re saying? When you use words like “maybe” and “perhaps,” uncertainty is exactly what you’re communicating.<\/div>\n

5. Quite:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0When someone uses “quite,” he or she either means “a bit” or “completely” or “almost.” Sometimes the word adds meaning; sometimes it’s fluff. Learn to tell the difference–but, when in doubt, cut it out.<\/p>\n

6. Amazing:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0The meaning of “amazing” is\u00a0causing great wonder or surprise<\/em>–but some writers use the word so often that the meaning gets lost. How can something be amazing if everything is? Ditch this diluted word.<\/p>\n

7. Literally:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0When something is true in a literal sense, you don’t have to add the word “literally.” The only reason it makes sense to use the word is when it clarifies meaning (i.e., to explain you aren’t joking when it seems you are).<\/p>\n

8. Stuff:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Unless you are aiming at informality, don’t use the word “stuff.” It’s casual, it’s generic, and it usually stands in for something better.<\/p>\n

9. Things:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>Writers use the word “things” to avoid using a clearer, more specific word that would communicate more meaning. Be specific. Don’t tell us about the “10 things,” tell us about the “10 books” or “10 strategies.” Specificity makes for better writing.<\/p>\n

10. Got:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Think of all the ways we use the vague word “got” in conversation: “I’ve got to go,” “I got a ball,” or “I got up this morning.” Though it’s fine for conversation, in writing, “got” misses valuable opportunities. Rather than writing a lazy word, look for clearer, more descriptive language: “I promised I’d leave by 9,” “I picked up a ball,” or “I woke up today,” for example.<\/p>\n

Whether you’ve been writing for a few days or for many years, you’ll benefit from evaluating the words you use. Cut the filler to make your writing stronger.<\/p>\n

For more Writing Tips, click here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Words To Avoid While Writing Words To Avoid While Writing Writing is a combination of art and craft. The art comes from lots of reading, talking, thinking, dreaming, and writing. The craft is primarily technique. Some techniques are complex, but a few are very simple and will instantly strengthen your writing. In many cases, however, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,27,38],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1499","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-learning-zone","8":"category-words","9":"category-writing-tips"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/words-to-avoid-min.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Writing Geeks","author_link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/author\/writinggeeks\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/words-to-avoid-min.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6uhmH-ob","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1499"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2751,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499\/revisions\/2751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}