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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Education / 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter (49716 Views)
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15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by khalhokage(m): 1:07pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
People don't have the time or the attention span to read any more words than necessary. You want your readers to hear you out, understand your message, and perhaps be entertained, right? Here's a list of words to eliminate to help you write more succinctly. 1. That It's superfluous most of the time. Open any document you've got drafted on your desktop, and find a sentence with "that" in it. Read it out loud. Now read it again without "that." If the sentence works without it, delete it. Also? Don't use "that" when you refer to people. "I have several friends that live in the neighborhood." No. No, you don't. You have friends who . Not friends that. 2. Went I went to school. Or the store, or to church, or to a conference, to Vegas, wherever it is you're inclined to go. Instead of "went," consider drove, skated, walked, ran, flew. There are any number of ways to move from here to there. Pick one. Don't be lazy and miss the chance to add to your story. 3. Honestly People use "honestly" to add emphasis. The problem is, the minute you tell your reader this particular statement is honest, you've implied the rest of your words were not. #Awkward 4. Absolutely Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. Something is either necessary, or it isn't. Absolutely necessary doesn't make it more necessary. If you recommend an essential course to your new employees, it's essential. Coincidentally, the definition of essential is absolutely necessary. Chicken or egg, eh? 5. Very Accurate adjectives don't need qualifiers. If you need to qualify it? Replace it. "Very" is intended to magnify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. What it does is makes your statement less specific. If you're very happy? Be ecstatic. If you're very sad, perhaps you're melancholy or depressed. Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazy way of making your point. Another pitfall of using very as a modifier? It's subjective. Very cold and very tall mean different things to different people. Be specific. She's 6'3" and it's 13 degrees below freezing? These make your story better while also ensuring the reader understands the point you're making. 6. Really Unless you're a Valley Girl, visiting from 1985, there's no need to use "really" to modify an adjective. Or a verb. Or an adverb. Pick a different word to make your point. And never repeat "really," or "very" for that matter. That's really, really bad writing. If you are visiting from 1985? Please bring the birth certificate for my Cabbage Patch Doll on your next visit. Thanks. 7. Amazing The word means "causing great surprise or sudden wonder." It's synonymous with wonderful, incredible, startling, marvelous, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, miraculous, surprising, mind-blowing, and staggering. You get the point, right? It's everywhere. It's in corporate slogans. It dominated the Academy Awards acceptance speeches. It's all over social media. It's discussed in pre-game shows and post-game shows. Newsflash: If everything is amazing , nothing is. 8. Always Absolutes lock the writer into a position, sound conceited and close-minded, and often open the door to criticism regarding inaccuracies. Always is rarely true. Unless you're giving written commands or instruction, find another word. 9. Never See: Always. 10. Literally "Literally" means literal. Actually happening as stated. Without exaggeration. More often than not, when the term is used, the writer means "figuratively." Whatever is happening is being described metaphorically. No one actually "waits on pins and needles." How uncomfortable would that be? 11. Just It's a filler word and it makes your sentence weaker, not stronger. Unless you're using it as a synonym for equitable, fair, even-handed, or impartial, don't use it at all. 12. Maybe This makes you sound uninformed, unsure of the facts you're presenting. Regardless of the topic, do the legwork, be sure, write an informed piece. The only thing you communicate when you include these words is uncertainty. 13. Stuff This word is casual, generic even. It serves as a placeholder for something better. If the details of the stuff aren't important enough to be included in the piece? Don't reference it at all. If you tell your reader to take your course because they'll learn a lot of stuff ? They're likely to tell you to stuff it. 14. Things See: Stuff. 15. Irregardless This doesn't mean what you think it means, jefe . It means regardless. It is literally (see what I did there?) defined as: regardless. Don't use it. Save yourself the embarrassment. Whether you're ghostwriting for your CEO, updating a corporate blog, selling a product, or finishing your doctoral thesis, you want to keep your reader engaged. These 15 words are a great place to start trimming the fat from your prose. Bonus? You’ll sound smarter. 157 Likes 28 Shares |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by ikubch(m): 1:11pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
hary158:The first step to personal liberty is ti say the plain truth to oneself. Until we have constitutional polygamy regulated by law. The problem has not even begun. T.M Aluko wrote One Man One Wife. abi? Una neva start. 17 Likes 5 Shares |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by segxes23(m): 1:25pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
This should reach the front page. Lalasticlala Password : Long snake 13 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Nobody: 2:28pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
ikubch:U ran so well BUT outside the track. This thread is about word use & not marriage. So.... That reminds me: @OP, 'so' should be #2 after 'that'. Most of its use has become redundant. 12 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by braintext(m): 2:41pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
That's very very nice ![]() |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by ikubch(m): 2:50pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
BreketeMind:Sorry, it was meant for another post. |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Nobody: 3:06pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
ikubch:My definition of 'good person' is 'anyone who can say sorry'; NOT anyone who is perfect. OP, next time cr8 an opposite thread on under-utilized words & include 'sorry'. 15 Likes 1 Share |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Nobody: 3:07pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
But where is lalasticlala sef |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by dynamo77(m): 3:21pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
I hate English language... It doesn't deserve the popularity level it maintains worldwide... Illogical language... #oberhyped language 27 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by AwesomeE: 4:53pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
khalhokage: @OP, are you a professional writer or anything close to that? Good writing style there! 2 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Florblu(f): 4:53pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Englishhhhiiiiiiii Yoruba my language E no need any editing 12 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by mu2sa2: 5:08pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
dynamo77:I wonder. All the words mentioned are english words.If they were not meant to be used, how did the words come about? To me our pidgin english should be adopted as our lingua franca because of its versatility - you are not tied to any strict rules of grammar: you are right as long as your listener understands you. The language is immaterial if the meaning is plain-lovely pidgin. 42 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by muaa(f): 5:38pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
. |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by muaa(f): 5:38pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Thanks op. Vocabulary updated. 1 Like |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by surestakes: 5:43pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
IF |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by emmyw(m): 6:03pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Cool |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by TopeQs: 6:26pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
segxes23:heheh..... ![]() snake is the password...... waiting to reach FP.... 1 Like |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by yellowbeauty(f): 7:00pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
very good of you @op |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by musicwriter(m): 7:03pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Imagine where this effort was put refining our native languages. Our languages would have grown, and would have been exported to all parts of the world via online use. White people who wants to visit Africa would've started learning Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Efik, Zulu, Swahili, Zona, Nupe, Ijaw, Igala, Ibibio, e.t.c on their computer. 10 Likes 1 Share |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Nobody: 8:02pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Because of this OP I won't type with ENGLISH on NL again. *I am officially using PIDGIN now* Dear OP since you start to dey omit those words e give you alert from bank? E dun reach when naija go make PIDGIN our official language. ![]() ![]() ![]() 25 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Ojestas(m): 8:03pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
ALWAYS and NEVER are the words you should always remember never to say ![]() 19 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by sacredsaint(m): 8:21pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
nice writeup 1 Like |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Kazrem(m): 8:42pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
I like that #1. 1 Like |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by matrix199(m): 9:32pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
When all those words are eliminated from the vocabulary, what's left?! 10 Likes 1 Share |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by palladin: 11:04pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Which words make we come use? 2 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by prinsam30: 11:21pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
OP we dey talk of No Fuel, No Light, No Money, No Babes and No Data and ur here preaching grammar. as I dey type so, na naked I dey, no light, heat everywhere, got to sleep on the floor abeg hide that grammar for now, we no talk say e no good, but wrong timing 7 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by 0955eb027(m): 11:29pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Great write up. That husband scarcity own sef make sense. In all, "who una don epp"?. Make i go iron dis shirt, monday don show face finish. Job hunting continues, dis month must not pass me by. 2 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by updatechange(m): 12:31am On Apr 24, 2016 |
ok segxes23: |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by Oyiboman69: 12:45am On Apr 24, 2016 |
op you no try at all,because you see post online, you just copy and past,you no know anything about English language, what happen to 'contextual meaning of words'.. 10 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by khalhokage(m): 12:53am On Apr 24, 2016 |
Oyiboman69: My dear read and comprehend, this is targeted at professional writers, you're not one so use the door. 6 Likes |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by beycity(m): 4:24am On Apr 24, 2016 |
This is nice.... |
Re: 15 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary To Sound Smarter by great664(m): 6:22am On Apr 24, 2016 |
mu2sa2: Thanks my brother but the inferiority complex won't make us adopt it. Communication is complete when the Receiver can decode what has been encoded by the sender, So why make it a great deal of using a pattern or law (grammar) English is the only language that break its rule and won't be jailed. Overrated Language and evolving Language I Love Pidgin, Deutsch, Spanish. 7 Likes 2 Shares |
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