From Orin Hargraves' new book,
It's Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Clichés, via
Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, we see how to clean up common cliches.
These edits dissolve the clichés, eliminate words, and make the writing stronger. Clichés dull our comprehension. First, the brain has to decipher extra words. Second, because it's seen the cliché a thousand times, the brain gets lazy. They turn crisp writing into slop.
Look for these opportunities to de-slop your writing:
very real
absolutely nothing
generally tend
entirely possible
perfectly normal
general consensus
freely admit
distinct advantage
close proximity
abundantly clear
abject failure
in
actual fact
the fact
of the matter is
know
for a fact know
full well fully intend
a
world of difference
a
palpable sense
proven track record
in any way,
shape, or form as a
general rule
of thumb more often
than not
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