Friday, July 18, 2008

(17) Empty Words and Phrases

Many words and phrases used by writers are ultimately empty; writers should avoid commonly used words and phrases that do not add to the flow or content of the writing. [DELETE]

Some word use should be deleted entirely, not just revised. Some writers, usually young or inexperienced writers, become more focused on word count than the quality of the language used. Some empty words to avoid:

Debatable (This is a debatable topic.)

Interesting

Good

Points (The writer makes a good point.)

Issues (The article raises an interesting issue.)