I’d be happy to never see the word “very” again in anything I read, edit or write.
Notice I didn’t say I’d be very happy never to see “very” again?
How much is “very”? It’s one of those ambiguous words that begs for further explanation.
I originally wrote the previous sentence: “It’s one of those ambiguous words that just begs for further explanation.”
But “just” is another one of those words. So out it went.
Bye, Bye Bad Words
Over the past six months I’ve edited tens of thousands of words of other writers’ work. Short articles, longer articles, and even longer whitepapers.
Editing so much copy from many different writers gave me new appreciation for succinct, descriptive writing, and writers who are minimalists, packing a lot of maximum meaning into the fewest possible words.
Oops, did it again. Goodbye “a lot.”
See how hard it is to wrestle these little rascals from your work?
My stint as a part-time editor and copyeditor for a startup underscored my aversion for filler words that don’t do anything to a sentence but take up space.
Do yourself a favor. The next time you finish a query letter or story, before you submit it, channel your inner editor. Go over it again for filler. Deleting unnecessary words will make your work cleaner and more polished. Eliminating filler copy will make the words that remain shine.
Filler Words to Can From Your Copy
Here are my picks for filler words to exorcise from your writing:
- a bit – as in “A bit of time passed before the library renovation was finished.” It begs the question, how much is a bit – days, weeks, months? Be specific.
- actually – Only works in movie titles.
- currently – Not necessary to include to designate that something is ongoing, i.e., “The movie is
currentlyplaying at 6:45 and 9 p.m.” - got – Such a boring verb. Surely you can think of something better.
- here – Exactly where is here? In the following example, “here” is redundant if you’ve already established where the employees work: “Employees
heresay they love weekend cookouts and annual holiday parties but wish they received bigger yearly bonuses.” - in order – Redundant filler that typically precedes the “to” form of a verb, as in “He walked around the building
in orderto enter through the back door.” - just – Unless you’re writing ad copy,
justsay no. - literally – If it’s happening, you don’t need this, it’s redundant, as in “She
literallycried as her husband walked off the aircraft carrier after his third and final deployment.” If it’s not happening you may be speaking figuratively, another reason you would not use this. - much
- now – See “currently.”
- perhaps
- pretty – Not as in this movie title, or this one, but as a description of proximity, i.e., “The band was
prettyclose to finishing their set when the fire started and the sprinklers turned on.” - quite – When used as a synonym for “very,” as in “The team received
quitea large contingent of fans at the stadium gate after knocking off their cross-town rivals in the championship game.” That sentence would be even better if the reporter counted the people in the crowd, which would allow her to rewrite the sentence to include the exact amount. - rather – See “quite.”
- really
- simply
- there – An editor kicked a story back to me LAST MONTH for a lead that started with “There are….” See? I’m as guilty as the next person. “There” is a lazy way of starting a sentence. It doesn’t take much thought and finesse to rework a “There are…” sentence into something that reads and sounds better – do it.
- so – I use “so” in blog posts, where the the tone is more relaxed and casual, and the language more colloquial. Under those circumstances, I think it’s okay. However, a couple go a long way, and I draw the line at using “so” in more traditional news and feature stories.
- stuff – Be specific. What “stuff” are you talking about?
- things – Ditto.
- very – My biggest pet peeve.
What filler words would you prefer never to see again? Share by leaving a comment.
Carrie Schmeck says
I think you hit the biggies. But maybe you should add “maybe.” 🙂
Michelle V. Rafter says
“Maybe” was included in an early draft, not sure what happened. Thanks for mentioning it.
MVR
Kathy Widenhouse says
Amen, Michelle! My pet peeves are qualifying words: “some,” “various,” and “a few” to add to those you listed. I discovered that I use qualifiers in my writing when I know exactly what I want to say. Weeding out qualifiers allows me to produce stronger writing.
Here’s a post for readers about zapping those unnecessary words: http://www.nonprofitcopywriter.com/write-cleaner.html
Michelle V. Rafter says
Thanks Kathy. Depending on the situation, I’m okay with using certain qualifying words. For example, when writing about numbers, in certain situations it would be acceptable to use a qualify to designate that a number is close to a slightly larger or smaller number. For example, say a company has a lay off, with the result being a new workforce population of 4,997. You could write that as: “The company laid off 5 percent of its workforce last week, bringing its total head count to about 5,000.” In that sentence, “approximately” would be an acceptable substitute for “about.” Or you could write it with the exact amount.
Michelle
Rick Barlow says
On the subject of useless or wasteful words and expressions, allow me to suggest that “as well” be added to your list. It’s only in the past few years that we we have been assaulted by this expression, replacing the simpler “too” and “also.” I can only guess that people think they sound smarter saying it. But it is especially wasteful when given that precious spot at the end of a sentence, draining away the emphasis that might have served some much more useful noun or verb. And it’s plain comical (and a little stupid) to combine it with its synonyms, as I have heard some TV spokespersons do. “Also, as well, too.” Seriously. I have heard that in a single sentence. Nuts, right?
Michelle V. Rafter says
“I have heard some TV spokespersons do. ‘Also, as well, too.'”
Can’t say that I’ve heard that, but agree it’s nuts. Like many other things in life, when it comes to writing, less is more.
Michelle
Carol Cassara says
Good reminder. I sent it to my nephew, a young writer who needs to hear it. ;-)))
Belinda Pollard / @Belinda_Pollard says
I’m a bit concerned that you’ve picked on quite a few of the things I really like to say in order to get my message across, and I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job, actually.
Ha. 😉
I slash these out when I edit someone else, but definitely use far too many when I blog. Must try harder. 🙂
Michelle V. Rafter says
It’s always easier to pick filler words out of someone else’s writing than see them in your own, at least in an initial draft. It’s yet another reason for letting a draft sit and then reading through it again. Overnight is best, but I usually am writing right up to deadline (or past it). In those cases, I’ll leave it to eat lunch, or check email, or even copy and paste it into email, anything that makes it look different, and then look at it again. I do the same thing with blog posts – just reading a post in Preview mode is a good way to catch typos, mistakes – and filler.
Michelle
Marci Rich says
Michelle, this is a terrific article. I know I’m guilty of using filler—largely because I tend to write the way I talk. I’m printing this out and sharing it on Twitter.
In the spirit of trading useful information, I’d like to share something I recently discovered when a former professor posted it on Facebook. “It begs the question” does not mean “it raises the question.” This is a common error of usage, according to my professor’s resource, the eponymously named website Begthequestion.info.
I beg your forgiveness for raising the matter!
Cheers,
Marci
Helen says
Michelle, this is a great article for me. I use fillers all the time, but I tend to blog in a chatty way and I wonder if you feel differently about the use of fillers then. They can make the blog sound more informal and conversational.
I also wanted to ask what the aversion to ‘maybe’ is? It maybe that the word maybe is helps in the sentence! Can you give an example of why is shouldn’t be used. If it is definitely not the case then maybe is a useful word……
Thanks
Helen
Michelle V. Rafter says
The bar is definitely lower on language when you’re blogging, especially on a personal blog or website, and especially if you’re writing a lot of first person POV. Readers expect you to be colloquial.
I included “maybe” on the list of filler words because it can be used to equivocate unnecessarily. For example: “It maybe better to stay inside when there’s 3 inches of snow on the ground than try to drive without chains.” Why include “maybe” in that sentence? Is the writer unsure of the statement? If they did the reporting necessary to back it up, then write it as a statement of fact: “It’s better to stay inside when there’s 3 inches of snow on the ground than try to drive without chains.”
Another reason not to use “maybe” — its 5 characters. In writing where every word or character counts, that’s valuable real estate. If you’re doing a 300-word FOB (front of the book) piece for a magazine, or a 250-word news brief, every word has to matter. In that instance, words like “maybe” are the first to go. How to cut unnecessary words? Read this, which is one of the most-read posts I’ve ever written: A few words about writing short.
Michelle
Cathy Worthington says
I have students circle each “THE” from writings and determine when needed and when filler.
Although not single words, but rather, phrases I cringe as a reader upon viewing:
I believe . . . In my opinion . . . I think . . .
__________________
ALSO, the writer may think about first person writing and third person writing. When writing academic writing, this is an important consideration.
__________________
Many college students working on their masters come my way do not establish a purpose for their writing and do not establish a defined audience.
Cathy Worthington
Cathy Worthington says
Many of my university students use absolutes without supporting evidence in their writings:
Always . . . never . . . all . . .
everyone . . . no one . . .each . . .
Jen Toyne says
Thanks Michelle.
I was having a discussion with a client about filler words this morning and I came across your article while looking for something to prove the point!
Raeynared says
I’ve got one to add. I, personally, think that people don’t need to qualify whether or not they are speaking on a personal level. Nobody ever says “I professionally” so why use “I personally”?