Phrases I’ve axed from my writing (that you should too)
Easy Read
20, 000 words.
The word count for my Masters Dissertation.
Daunting for anyone to write about one topic.
But school taught us to write reports designed to pass on information to people forced to read it.
Not how to be entertaining or keep people interested in what we’re saying.
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Cue the problem.
With such an impossible looking word count we tend to get creative on how to attain it without saying anything extra.
This leads to clunky phrases and filler to reach the target.
Stuff that takes three or four or five words to say what could be said in one.
Here are 15 phrases you may still be needlessly using.
In terms of
The fact that
Needles to say
In order to
All of the
At the end of the day
First and foremost
Using the passive voice (It was decided by … instead of … x decided that)
Use of the possessive (the core of the Earth … instead of … the Earth’s core)
It is important to note that
In actual fact
Inasmuch as
In excess of
In the process of
Whether or not
Scrap them. Scrap them all. And use these alternatives for silky smooth writing.
Regarding
Because
Obviously/Naturally
For
All
Ultimately/Eventually
Firstly
Instead of “It was decided by X …” use “X decided that …”
Instead of “the core of the Earth” say “the Earth’s core”
Crucially/Importantly
Actually/Really
Since/Because
Beyond/Over
Make redundant. Instead of “I’m in the process of writing” just say “I’m writing.”
Whether
Enjoy!
