Improving your writing skills doesn’t require you to be a walking dictionary or have a thorough knowledge of English grammar rules and concepts. Be comfortable with outside suggestions and criticism. The best way to improve your writing is to read and write often.

Drop the word “very”

“Very” is a devious word in writing. There is always a stronger adjective that you can use to replace the combination of the adverb “very” and its following adjective.

What you don’t want to do

• The conclusions of the study were not very detailed.

A better way to phrase it

• The conclusions of the study were not clear.
• The conclusions of the study were not detailed.

Reduce verbosity

More words don’t equal better writing. Both qualifiers and intensifiers are modifiers to convey the opposite effect in a sentence. A qualifier weakens or diminishes the impact of a word or phrase in a sentence, while an intensifier strengthens or emphasizes the importance of a word or phrase in a sentence. Using too many intensifiers / qualifiers can damage the meaning of the sentence.

Common Qualifiers and Intensifiers

• Enough
• Therefore
• Always
• Possible
• Slightly
• Usually
• Very
• Rather
• Sort of
• Essentially
• Most
• Kind of
• Too much

What you don’t want to do

• It really seemed entirely possible that they misunderstood the plot of the whole movie, which essentially took away the credibility of their review.

A better way to phrase it

• Film critics misunderstood the plot, which tarnished the credibility of their review.

Avoid repetition

It might seem like a no-brainer, but repetition in a sentence is a common mistake and can quickly damage the meaning of your writing. We can not use the same word, but when we use the same root of a word or similar notions in the same sentence, it causes repetitions

Here’s what you don’t want to do

• the journalist received strong criticism because she report was biased, and others journalists disagreed with his methods.

A better way to phrase it

• The journalist received sharp criticism because her story was biased and other journalists openly criticized her methods.

Pay attention to words you don’t know

The words “fancier” are often confusing. What you want to avoid is misusing a word you don’t know. Use a dictionary to check the meaning of a new word or an online resource such as the Corpus of Contemporary American English, which shows how words and phrases are used in different contexts. A good strategy is to try the word out in an oral conversation to learn its nuances before including it in your writing.

Here’s what you don’t want to do

• The threat of forest fires was eminent after meteorologists mentioned that temperatures would reach over 105 degrees.

A better way to phrase it

• The threat of forest fires was imminent after meteorologists mentioned that temperatures would reach over 105 degrees.

Correct way to use the word

• Alan Watts is a eminent is among the British philosophers.

Use a thesaurus and dictionary together

Similar to the suggestion above, to increase the choice of words, you want to start with a thesaurus to help you find other adjectives or phrases to improve your writing.

It is important to remember that synonyms are only words with similar meanings, not necessarily interchangeable. Words have different connotations or meanings, depending on the situation. This is when having a dictionary is extremely useful, as you will be able to search for the definition of the word and see if the synonym you choose matches the context.

Here’s what you don’t want to do

• I had a bad day. I had an infamous day.
• The reason this doesn’t work is that even though “infamous” means “bad,” it doesn’t fit the context.
• The definition of infamous – “(typically an act or activity) wicked or criminal” – does not make sense in this situation.

A better way to phrase it

• I had a bad day. I had a bad day.
• The definition of ugly is “very poor or bad”, which improves that phrase. Don’t be afraid to look for the definition of a word you don’t know.

Avoid clichés / colloquialisms

They are called clichés for a reason: they are hackneyed sentences and “betray a lack of original thought”. Colloquialisms are familiar words or phrases, not of a formal or literary nature, which are generally used in ordinary language. The two are similar in that they are common and (sometimes) overused. The best way to diversify your writing is to avoid them and instead offer unique phrasing.

Common clichés and colloquialisms to avoid

• A perfect storm
• Ignorance is happiness
• Leave the cat out of the bag
• The pot calling the black kettle
• Just in time
• If only the walls could speak
• You can’t judge a book by its cover
• In the heat of the moment
• Look in the eyes
• Cut to the chase
• Give the benefit of the doubt

Watch out for jargon

Jargon – or specialized terminology understood by some groups – in writing can be expected in upper division classes. However, be careful of jargon if you are writing for an audience unfamiliar with your field. If you are writing for a professor or for other experts in your field, it is perfectly acceptable to use jargon. Still, if you are writing a grant proposal or personal statement, be aware of the jargon you use as your audience may not be familiar with certain terminologies.

What you don’t want to do

• The onset of a condition such as a myocardial infarction may seem acute at first glance; however, the amalgamation of underlying comorbidities such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus may contribute to its occurrence.

A better way to phrase it

• The onset of a heart attack may seem sudden; However, these are actually several underlying health issues such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Avoid abusing pronouns

A common clerical error is to overuse pronouns (eg these, they, she, he, he). The problem with using too many pronouns is that they can make your sentence more difficult to understand. Use words like her, him, them, I, etc. is perfectly acceptable if there is a direct correlation between the specified name and the pronoun. However, the abuse of pronouns has the risk of creating vagueness, and therefore confusion. To avoid this problem, be more specific in your names and descriptions.

What you don’t want to do

• The occurrence of these medical conditions is detrimental to the health of these women.

A better way to phrase it

• The onset of the medical condition of anemia is detrimental to the health of young women, especially those who are pregnant.

Online resources to use

• Editor Hemingway. (2020). Editor Hemingway.
  • Online writing editor that helps copywriters identify areas of long wording, overly complicated text, and use of adverbs.
• Grammar editor. (2020).
  • Online writing editor that helps writers with common grammatical errors such as punctuation.
• Corpus of Contemporary American English (2020).
  • Show different words and how they can be used in different contexts with example sentences
• Corpus COCA. (2020). Word and phrase.
  • The title of this site is a bit abusive. This website allows you to see the frequency of a word in different contexts (oral, fiction, magazines, newspapers and academic writing). You can also see the most commonly used words in conjunction with the word you are looking for.