Comments on: #InfographicInspiration: Overused Words

By: Casey

Casey — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 04:02:34 +0000

I’ve noticed several people saying that they replace words with synonyms when they’re proofreading. I used to do that too. I’m not quite sure when I stopped; but I think as I got older my vocabulary has increased, mostly from reading more complex books. A greater vocabulary really helps me say precisely what I want to the first time I write it, so my writing is naturally varied enough and I don’t really have to go back and look up synonyms. I suggest anyone who struggles with that problem to try increasing the complexity of your reading.

Regarding the infographic itself, I disagree with the arguments made about several items on the list. Some have been mentioned by other people, but nobody has talked about “and/or” yet. This phrase is very important for technical writing, where it’s the best way to precisely communicate “inclusive or” in prose. As a software engineer, I use it whenever I need to communicate that precise concept, which is frequently.

Overall, the takeaway I got from most of the arguments in this chart is that we often include unnecessary words and should prefer writing concisely. I don’t think any of these words or phrases necessarily hamper communication too much beyond simply increasing verbosity.

By: Casey

Casey — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 03:36:46 +0000

I think using the singular they is generally the best option. The only case where I would hesitate to use it would be when plurality matters and can’t be easily inferred from context; but this is such an unusual situation that I can’t think of any examples off the top of my head.

I go so far as to use “they” even when writing and speaking about a subject whose gender is known, again unless gender matters in the specific context, I find that in most cases gender isn’t, or shouldn’t be, relevant at all. And an interesting thing happens once you start using “they” everywhere; the deep cultural entrenchment of gender into almost everything starts to become quite glaringly obvious.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 23:41:44 +0000

Like many of my peers, I have a habit of overusing many of the words that are listed in this infographic. I have realized this in both my writing and my speech, especially after spending a summer with a group of individuals that were bothered so much by the overuse of certain words and phrases that they would actually call you out on it. I try to eliminate the use of many of these, but sometimes find it difficult to find an alternative. This infographic will be a useful tool in the future and I intend to save it for those times when I run into this issue. It will be convenient to have a source that has recommendations on different words and phrases to use and those that can be eliminated. I believe it will also help me to recognize those words and phrases that I have never considered changing or eliminating before.

By: Faizal+Zulkifli

Faizal+Zulkifli — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 01:34:38 +0000

I kind of have a mixed response for this article above because at first it seems helpful when looking at the first 10 overused phrases but when it goes on until 40+ I already feel like that the significance becomes lesser. Too much information if I must say however there are some useful tips especially in the beginning of the list where it appears to be like a Thesaurus giving out some synonyms and alternatives for those phrases. The thing that I always have a problem with my essay though is the overuse of the word ‘which’ or ‘where’ and I sometimes misplaced between them both too. I always have to make sure that it is not wrongly used in a sentence and whether it is really needed to be added or not.

By: Zachary Cohen

Zachary Cohen — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 00:46:52 +0000

I found this infographic to be both useful and insightful. There’s a lot of words and phrases on this list that I know that I commonly use in my writing. For instance, I frequently use intensifiers in my sentences as a way to convey the level of importance or emotion in that sentence, but I suppose that it isn’t necessary. However, I do think it would be difficult and maybe impossible to avoid utilizing some of the words and phrases on this list because some of them are actually important phrases that can give a sentence a whole different meaning or connotation. For example, on the list it says not to use the word “only” and then gives the example that “he kicked the ball only 10 yards” should just be “he kicked the ball 10 yards”. But, if I knew nothing about the context of this sentence, without the word “only” I may be thinking that 10 yards was an impressive kick, so in this case I would say that the word “only” doesn’t simply make this sentence better, but it is actually vital to the connotation of this sentence.

By: Shashank

Shashank — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 19:51:27 +0000

I’m guilty of using at least a few of the over used words/phrases mentioned in the info graphic. I’ve always learnt to use transition between my paragraphs, so I tend to use words like “Firstly”, “Secondly”, etc, a lot in my writing. Sometimes, I also change words like “because” to a different version such as “Due to the fact” (which is apparently over used). I’ll keep this in mind when writing something.
While proofreading, if I feel I have over used a word I run the find command on word to look for the number of instances I have used that particular word/phrase. Sometimes I also use an online tool to measure the frequency of my words.

By: Christian+Arroz

Christian+Arroz — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 14:49:46 +0000

This infographic resonates with me so much! I use most of the words too much in conversation and in writing. I tend to overuse transition words such as, “Additionally,” “Consequently,” and “Then,” at the beginning of sentences when I could just break up my ideas. I never use plus or kind of/sort of in writing because it appears unprofessional to me, however, that doesn’t stop me from speaking them on a daily basis. Words such as “like”I have been trying to cut out of my vocabulary for a few years unless absolutely necessary because it is a filler most of the time and useless in conversation.

In proofreading, I look for my amount of the word “it” mainly to try and cut the word down as much as possible. Also, I look for places to input commas so that the reader can go through my paper with ease and not just run through the information I want to emphasize.

By: Daniel+Ott

Daniel+Ott — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 00:33:24 +0000

I have noticed that there are definitely a few words that I over use, without even realizing it. I find that I often use the same transition words too frequently. For example, I tend to use the words additionally and also very often. When I proofread my writing I always have to read it through again to make sure it doesn’t sound awkward or repetitive. I have also found that I have a problem with using run on sentences. So, I always have to double check my use of commas, and the word and.
When I proofread my papers I always read it in my head, and if something sounds a little off in my head, then I will read it out loud to double check. Other things I check for in my papers are spelling mistakes, and overly wordy sentences.

By: Youngsu+Kim

Youngsu+Kim — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:05:04 +0000

I think this infographic is very helpful. English is my second language and I feel like I often overuse some specific words due to limitation of my vocabulary so I tend to search for the synonyms of the words that I find overused. By rephrasing my writings, I can also find the typical typo and grammatical error since I read through my document thoroughly to rephrase every single sentence if appropriate and possible.
So my suggestion for people like me is to find the overused words in the documents and search for the suitable synonym. I think it will help a lot.

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:04:36 +0000

I had a history teacher in high school who was such a stickler for using the same word over and over. When you get enough points off your papers, the idea tends to stick. Nowadays, I’m very cognizant of my word choice, especially if I read something out loud and can hear the frequency of use. I don’t think that I use almost any of the phrases from the infographic, mostly because I don’t think they sound correct. However, I definitely have trouble with certain phrases like “as well as” and using hyphens in my sentences. I try my best to edit through what I write and re-work the numerous occurrences, but oftentimes it’s still a problem.