Every time I attend a writing seminar I come across another list of word use “dos and don’ts”. I’ve compiled a list of the don’ts and thought I would share it with you. If your manuscript is riddled with these terms, you’ve labeled yourself an amateur. Tough as it may be, removing the offensive word will tighten your work. Test yourself and replaced what you find with flowing description of your own.
Run, don’t hesitate, and delete the following:
- Any adverb (ly)
- Felt, knew, heard, realized, appeared, saw, looked
I’ve heard some editors claim they throw out any manuscript that has the word felt in the first fifty pages. I kid you not.
Even the best works include the following, but use them as infrequently as possible.
- Any form of the verb “to be”
- There is / There are
- And the below extended list
| A lot |
| And also |
| Appeared |
| Ascertain the location of |
| Attractive |
| Basically |
| Considered to be |
| Embarrassing |
| Essentially |
| Fabulous |
| Fascinating |
| Feel |
| Handsome |
| Heard |
| Hilarious |
| I wouldn’t be surprised if |
| In actual point of fact |
| In terms of |
| Interesting |
| Irregardless |
| It just might turn out |
| It seems to me |
| Just |
| Kind of |
| Knew |
| Looked |
| Momentous |
| Necessitate |
| Not withstanding the fact that |
| Oddly enough |
| Only |
| Powerful |
| Quite |
| Realized |
| Really |
| Saw |
| Simply |
| Sort of |
| Stupid |
| There is, There are |
| Think |
| To Be: Am, Is, Are, Was, Were, Be, Being, Been |
| Totally |
| Very |
Katie Bartlett, Author 
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