Good writing means using good words. The following words are not good, and should NOT be used because they show lack of thought and creativity.
Do NOT use them in vocabulary paragraphs.
These are Forbidden Words!
you, your, yours
I, me, my, mine we, us, our there a lot, many, really very, pretty, stuff
thing (or any word with "thing" in it = anything, something, everything, nothing, etc.) am, is, are, was, were (unless they are helping verbs)
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Edit in this order:
To search for words, press "Command+F" to open a dialogue box that will help you find any word.
If doing any of the following makes your writing confusing, you may need to add or subtract words or rearrange them to make the ideas smooth and clear.
1. Delete "a lot," "very," "really," "many," and "pretty." You may exchange these for other more descriptive words. Use a thesaurus if needed.
2. Change "thing" (or any word with "-thing" in it) and "stuff" to more specific ideas.
3. Change the words "you, your, yours, I, me, my, mine" to third person - "he, she, they, them" or a person's name.
4. Change the word "there" to the subject or a concrete idea later in the sentence by:
a) moving the subject or idea to the front of your sentence and
b) choosing a stronger verb.
Examples:
There was a dog in the yard.V: was (boring verb)S: Who or what was? – dogA dog was barking in the yard (was barking = stronger verb)The yard harbored a dog.
(harbored - stronger verb) | There should be more time during passing periods.V: should be (boring verb)S: Who or what should be? – timeTime should be increased during passing periods.
(should be increased = stronger verb)Passing periods need to be longer.
(need - stronger verb) |
5. The verbs "am, is, are, was, were" must be with another verb, usually an "-ing" verb.
"am going," "is being," "are thinking," "was sleeping," "were studying"
- Don't be fooled by these words followed by an adjective. (I am brilliant. You are wonderful.)
- If you're not sure, make sure an "-ing" word follows them.
