Overused words

[TheWritingGroup]

I just realized that in one story, I use the phrase "having a good time" six, um, times. And also "showing you a good time" once. I could probably stand to vary that.

--Annie

 

[iwatchus]

A few stories ago, I realized I was using "big hug" way too many times. I noticed because my fingers like to typo that as bug hug and I noticed how many of those I was having to fix.

I think my last two stories don't use the phrase even once.

Now that I have written this, I am wondering if I can write a story that actually uses bug hug.

 

[TiberiusPrime]

A few stories ago, I realized I was using "big hug" way too many times. I noticed because my fingers like to typo that as bug hug and I noticed how many of those I was having to fix.

I think my last two stories don't use the phrase even once.

Now that I have written this, I am wondering if I can write a story that actually uses bug hug.

Do a variation of "slug bug" on a road trip.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

In one (and only one) of my current works in progress, I seem to have said, "a little" about once every four or five paragraphs.

I think I was trying to give the protagonist a style of speaking and leaned too hard on that phrase.

--Annie

 

[Writer61]

Now And Then But

 

[MrPixel]

"That" and "just" are my weaknesses. The former can usually be cut without harm, although it naturally occurs in dialog. "Just" is really bad because the way I think it sometimes winds up with two or even three in a sentence. Both are usually caught on second or third re-read when the "awkward!" ruler smacks my knuckles.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

‘And’ as a coordinating conjunction.

 

[Dnthmn_19]

I would like to see the word "absolutely" banned. It is a useless modifier, but you see it everywhere. So is "fucking."

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Absolutely!

 

[Nynah]

I would like to see the word "absolutely" banned. It is a useless modifier, but you see it everywhere. So is "fucking."

I absofuckinglutely agree with you.

 

[TheLobster]

Fucking Absolutely.

 

[filthytrancendence]

| (ly) |

 

[MillieDynamite]

And, then, & that, are some of my most overused (and totally deletable) words. Just and only come in right after those.

 

[TheLobster]

I gotta cast some doubts on the notion that “and” can be overused as a word.

I think it sometimes feels overused because it’s a disproportionately bulky word in relation to its function. The analogous connective in other languages is often a single vowel (“a”, “e”, “i”/“y”) or a short half-syllable (“et”, “no”, …), but in English it’s a long, sprawling word with a consonant cluster that takes a lot of space for no good reason.

This doesn’t mean that too much “and” is not indicative of problems. But it’s usually about other things than simple overuse, such as too complicated sentence structure, sentences that are too long, poor variety in terms of how clauses are connected, etc.

These problems have to be targeted at the root; simply removing “and” is likely not going to fix them. Compare it with words like “very” or “just”, which in most cases can be deleted with prejudice.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I gotta cast some doubts on the notion that “and” can be overused as a word.

I, for one, have a bad habit of using it to string what should be separate sentences together. You won't have noticed it, I hope, because I now automatically go back and undo that before posting anything.

--Annie

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I just realized that in one story, I use the phrase "having a good time" six, um, times. And also "showing you a good time" once. I could probably stand to vary that.

In editing my current WiP, I found "a few times", let's say, way more than a few times.

Now I need to find a "phrase cloud" app.

--Annie

 

[iwatchus]

In editing my current WiP, I found "a few times", let's say, way more than a few times.

Now I need to find a "phrase cloud" app.

--Annie

Post it if you find one you like. The ones I looked at a while ago (maybe inspired by this thread then) did not do what I wanted. I don't care about fancy formatting features, I just want the info. I ended up writing a script that mostly works to give me a list of words and counts, but it's clunky and does not understand declensions and plurals and the like.

 

[Statius]

Repetitive words and phrases are a big problem for me. It's my primary focus during edit, and even then sometimes they slip by me.

 

[SkyBubble]

Is Al LaBaster there please?

 

[Cagivagurl]

God...
"Oh my God.
Good fucking God."
"Oh God no."
"God all fucking mighty."
"God fucking damn."
I'm not even religious, but there you go.

Cagivagurl

 

[AlinaX]

Rhythm is a word I can't spell. I'll try once, twice, three times then I let spell check fix it. Its like a mental glitch, I cannot get that word right.

License is another, although I can usually get it after a couple of tries, but never the first.

Absence is one that gets me.

 

[StillStunned]

God...
"Oh my God.
Good fucking God."
"Oh God no."
"God all fucking mighty."
"God fucking damn."
I'm not even religious, but there you go.

Cagivagurl

Oh God, don't do that!
Oh God, don't...!
Oh God...!
Oh...!

 

[iwatchus]

God...
"Oh my God.
Good fucking God."
"Oh God no."
"God all fucking mighty."
"God fucking damn."
I'm not even religious, but there you go.

Cagivagurl

I'm not religious, and neither are most of my characters, but they sure say Jesus a lot. And I don't mean in bed.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

The 'P' word that somebody started a thread title with and some use as an intergalactic global time/space delimiter definitely needs to go away.