Commonly Overused Words in Writing

When editing, challenge yourself to eliminate words that are used too often.

Words matter in writing. They can make your writing strong or make it weak. Many times, it can be easy to fall on to crutch words [very, really, went, just, seem, there, etc.] instead of taking the time to be more descriptive and creative to make your writing more captivating. Focus on wanting to intrigue readers. Here are some commonly overused words by writers and how to fix them:

• “stuff” 

Use this word sparingly. Hands-down, it’s a lazy word. Try a more descriptive noun depending on the context it is being used in. Ex: Her suitcase was packed with stuff that she could not bare to leave behind. -> Her suitcase was packed with memories and books that she could not bare to leave behind. 

• “things” 

This is a non-desciptive word that can easily be replaced. Ex: After taking one last look around, she grabbed her things and left. -> After taking one last look around, she grabbed her last usable suitcase and left. 

• “got”

This word has ‘got’ to stop being used so often! Especially because there are so many other ways to use it. Ex: She got up the next morning, got her coffee ready, and got her mind in the right place to tackle the day.-> She woke up the next morning, sipped on her coffee, and gathered her thoughts in order to tackle the day ahead. 

• “went”

Try to exchange it for another word more often than not. Ex: She went to the train station and bought the first ticket out of the town she had called home for so long.-> She hurried to the train station…

• “was”, “were”, “is”, “are”, “am”

These words have easy fixes. It can be helpful to look up synonyms in place of these especially because they can go unnoticed in writing. A strongly written story will give words like these much more meaning. Ex: We were at the scene when we heard her say why she was there in the first place. -> We had just arrived at the scene when we heard her say why she had been lurking there in the first place. 

What’s the Difference

 

Affect vs. Effect

 

To use affect or effect, that is the question. If you are confused on which one to use, you are not alone! Many people get them mixed up, and for good reason! These words sound so similar that people often get them confused! But no need to fear, fellow scholars, I am going to break down this grammatical quandary for you.  

---

The rule of thumb for affect and effect is that affect is generally used as a verb, while effect is used as a noun.

---

Affect:

When used as a verb, affect means “to influence” or to create a change. A way to remember this is to remember that verbs are action words, and action starts with the letter a, just like affect.

Another defining factor of verbs is that they can change into the past tense. For example, if you see the sentence, The dog affected the boy’s hair, you know that affected is a verb because it has been used in the past tense. Nouns cannot change tenses.

Also! Verbs are interchangeable. You can replace the word affected with other words and the sentence would still make sense.

The dog licked the boy’s hair.

The dog fixed the boy’s hair.

 

Effect:

When used as a noun, effect means “a result” and indicates that a change has happened. A defining feature of nouns is that they can have an article placed in front of them.

For example, the is an article that can be placed in front of a noun. Take a look at this sentence:

The effect of the dog’s actions made the boy unhappy.

A way to remember that effect is a noun is to think of the article, the, and notice that it ends with an e, which is the first letter of effect.

Exceptions:

• Affect can be used as a noun if you are referring to the psychological state of a person, or a facial expression. Examples: The woman appeared to have a flat affect, or, The news of her dog’s death had a huge affect on her. 
• Effect can be used as a verb when it means to bring about a change or to cause a change. Examples: The advocate hoped to effect change in the audience, or, The professor has a positive effect on the student’s learning.

---

If all else fails, an easy way to remember the difference between affect and effect is to imagine this handsome raven below us.

What does a raven have to do with remembering grammar, you may ask? Typically, absolutely nothing. However, in this case, the letters in raven contain the letters A–V and E–N, which can be used to remember that Affect is a Verb and Effect is a Noun.

---

Think you are the master of affect and effect? Take this quiz and see if you understand the difference between the two! http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/effect_vs_affect_1.asp

This quiz is a great resource because it provides an explanation for each of the questions!

Have fun!

 

Interesting Word: Laissez-faire

Laissez-faire

Noun – An attitude or policy of allowing things to progress without interference.

Mr. Bozman created a Laissez-faire work environment in which all his cubicle-bound lil’ workers were allowed to finish their work at their own pace; nothing was accomplished.
Shep Nedly’s Laissez-faire style of parenting instilled in his child a sense of wonder, creativity, and adventure which led to his career as a traveling bard; Shep–pursued by his hospital debts–regretted his parenting.

Oh, Shep, if only you had disciplined your child, then maybe your combo hood-beanie wouldn’t be necessary.

Avoid Very

Very:

Adverb- used for emphasis

Adjective- actual; precise

It was a very peaceful day at the lake when we saw a very large monster creeping through the water. We could see its very shiny and very sharp teeth ready to chomp through our very soft skin. We couldn’t believe it; it was very unexpected. We tried to run off the dock but the monster was very fast and wiggled its way up the very thin dock. We turned around very quickly and found ourselves very scared and very upset. Here it came, the very judgmental and very harsh grammar monster.

Sounds lazy, huh? Pick up a thesaurus, you dumby! Here’s how it sounds with a little more effort.

It was a peaceful day at the lake when we saw a gigantic monster creeping through the water. We could see its gleaming and razor-sharp teeth ready to chomp through our delicate skin. We couldn’t believe it; it was surprising. We tried to run off the dock, but the monster was swift and wiggled its way up the narrow dock. We turned around hastily and found ourselves shivering in our own skin. Here it came, the judgmental and rigid grammar monster.

Interesting Word: Dubious

Dubious

1) Adjective – doubtful or questioning; hesitant.

The dubious deer hesitated a moment too long and one deer and one car were absolutely ruined.

Eggbert appeared dubious by the plane’s open door and silently he questioned the credentials of his skydiving instructor Dr. Chad Realname.

The cold, long face that will triple your insurance bill for no reason other than to see you suffer.

2) Adjective – Unreliable, questionable, not to be trusted.

The scientific community called Dr. Chad Realname’s research dubious because he never gave a clear answer on how he conducted so many experiments on what he called the “bounciness of the human body at high velocity.”

The climber trusted the dubious rope that had an ominous frayed edge and people miles around heard the echoes of a regretful scream.

Pictured above: the research process.

Word of the Week: Abscond

Abscond
1) Verb – To leave secretly in order to avoid detection or arrest for something that is likely unlawful.

The tooth fairy absconded with the child’s teeth along with his tv, phone, and dog named Bark Ruffalo.

While his family played board games in the other room, Brad absconded with the turkey so he could enjoy Thanksgiving alone in his room.

Eyes on the prize, Brad

2) Verb – (In reference to incarcerated people) to escape.

Bark Ruffalo escaped the kennel his abductor had put him in and began his journey home to his celebrity master.

Ice pick Dave absconded from prison and prepared to start a new life as a professional balloon popper.

From birth Bark Ruffalo knew there was something different about him.

Word of the Week: Soporific

Wild family fun for everyone!

Soporific
1) Adjective – causing sleepiness or grogginess.

The drone of Professor Dauchtor’s voice in the hot room had a soporific effect.
The lullaby had a soporific effect upon the baby which allowed the parents to have a wild board-game party in the other room.

Whoopsy daisy

2) Noun – a drug or substance that induces sleep.
Instead of singing a lullaby, the parents gave their child an age-appropriate soporific so they could have a totally crazy board-game party like their cool friends did.
The doctor did not give their patient a potent enough soporific and surgery did not go well.

Word of the Week: Desultory

Desultory

1) Adjective – digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random

I was talking about my intense interview with Johnathon today and he made a desultory comment about how squirrels move faster than many other land animals.

Many students got lost in translation during their professor’s desultory lecture which appeared to have no real focus.

 

2) Adjective – lacking in consistency or noticeable order.

After the officer questioned the two suspects several times, he noticed that their statements were desultory and could not hold up in court.

As I was enjoying my dinner at Applebee’s, I overheard a family’s desultory conversation about hiking, English homework, and how one of the popular girls ditched going to prom for stargazing with her English partner.

Interesting Word

Irresolute – showing or feeling hesitant, doubtful, uncertain.

He lay awake staring at the ceiling, irresolute, questioning the trajectory of the day and where life would lead him.

Spot was irresolute, unable to decide if he was a good boy, or if his owners were lying to spare his feelings.