My experience combined with the help of guidetogrammar.org informs the following table, which lists words and phrases that are commonly-used but oftentimes weaken writing. Consider adopting the “less is more ” approach and strengthen your writing. Take out fillers and intensifiers. Don’t get fancy with words like “ought,” “utilize,” and “necessitate”; odds are they’re contextually incorrect and skew meaning. Stick to simple, effective, concise, and intentional language.
Don’t see a word or phrase you use often but aren’t sure is helping or hurting? Comment it below for feedback!
| Word/Phrase | Explanation | Example |
| “and/or” | Unproductive, with the exception of legal writing. Use one or the other: just “and” or just “or.” | “We can talk on the phone |
| “as to whether” | Needlessly wordy. Just “whether” will suffice. | “I’m concerned |
| Intensifiers: “very,” “really,” quite,” “totally,” and “essentially.” | Needlessly wordy; seldom useful. Omit. | “I |
| “being that” or “being as” | Non-standard. Use “because” instead. | “ |
| “to be”: “considered to be,” “excited to be,” | “to be” is normally implied and therefore unnecessary. Omit whenever possible. | “Editing is considered |
| “due to the fact that” | Never useful. Use “due to” when following a linking verb (e.g. “was”) or “because” when beginning a sentence. | “ “The project’s failure was due to |
| “each and every” | Never useful. Use one or the other: just “each” or “every.” | “ |
| “equally as important as” | Something can be “equally important” or “as important as,” but not “equally as important as.” | “Initial training is |
| Gender-specific pronouns: “he,” “she,” “he/she,” “his” “her,” “his/her.” | Especially when recurring, generalizing with gender-specific pronouns can be obtrusive. It is now grammatically correct to use “their” or you can of course revert to the very general “one.” | “An applicant is required to submit |
| Adverbial numerations: “firstly, “secondly,” and “thirdly.” | Use “first,” “second,” and “third.” | “First |
| “Irregardless” | “Regardless” already means “without regard for.” “Irregardless” is redundant and ineffective. | “ |
| “Kind of” or “sort of” | Too informal. Use “somewhat,” “rather,” or “slightly” instead or omit entirely. | “I was |
| “alot” | Incorrect; a common misspelling of “a lot.” | “We spent |
| “would of,” “should of,” “could of” | Informally used and incorrect. Properly written as “would have,” “should have,” and “could have.” | “I would |
| “at this point in time” | Needlessly wordy; seldom useful. Use “at this point,” “at this time,” or “now.” | “At this |
| “per” | Unproductive, with the exception of legal and technical writing (or the passive aggressive “per my last email”). Use “according to” instead. | “I completed the project |
| “’til” | Incorrect. Use “until” or “till.” | “I won’t know |
| “try and” | You don’t “try and” do something, you “try to” do something. | “I will try |
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