Weak Words To Avoid In Writing

 

Finding the right words is one of the most important things that you need to do to learn how to write well. There are thousands of words available for you to choose from, and you need to make the right choice to effectively convey your message to the readers. Having the ability to choose the right words necessitates knowing identifying the weak words to avoid. Using the wrong words can suck the energy from your work, and this is something that you need to remember while you are still improving your writing skills.

One of the weak words that you should avoid is “really.”  This word is often used to stress emphasis, but usually ends up not doing its job. The word “real” pertains to a fact or something that is not imagined. The word “really” should be used as an intensifier, and not something that lessens the impact of the sentence. For instance, you can change the the sentence “The dancer really performed admirably” into “The dancer performed admirably.” Another example is the use of a phrase “A really great idea,” which you can change to “An excellent idea.”

Things and stuff are words that are widely used in many reading materials. The problem is that almost always, it is only the writer who has a clear understanding of what the “things” and “stuff” means, and not the reader. Using these words often give readers unnecessary and additional burden in figuring out what the writer is trying to say. These words are vague and you need to specify what you are talking about. The words “I believe,” “I feel,” and “I think,” are also among the weak words you should avoid using. They do not inspire confidence in the audience, and often lead readers to question the honesty and authenticity of the writer. These words, which are typically used to inspire confidence, can make the writer sound uncertain about the topic and themselves. According to experts, words such as “I think” or “I believe” can change the focus of the sentence, from the topic to the writer. Instead of saying “ I believed the author has a great point here,” you may instead say “ The author has a great point here.”

In choosing the right words, you also need to learn about the difference between active and passive voices, and determine which of them you should use. When you say “Annie mailed the letter” you are using the active voice, and passive voice when you say “The letter was mailed by Annie.” Experts suggest that you use active instead of passive voice. Passive voice is often used in scientific writing. It is less engaging and forces the writer to utilize more words in a sentence. Active voice, on the other hand, allows you to create punctuated, straightforward, and short sentences.

Lastly, make it a habit to avoid using the word “very.” According to experts, the word does not convey enough information, and it is even perceived to be one of the most useless words one can find in the English language. There are remedies you can resort to such as saying “wonderful” when you want to say “very good” or spotless when you say “very clean.”

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