Dead Words

DEAD WORDS:

When ideas fail, words come in very handy.

…::: Johann Wolfgang van Goethe::…

So…

Eliminate the following “dead” words from your writing, so your ideas will not be hindered by the power of useless words:

 

 

get                 good             well                 got                 just                  fine

great             always           very                lots                  so                    every

nice                a lot                fun                  neat               !!!                    !!!

                                                                                                                            **** Did I mention no exclamation points!!!****

 

FIRST AND SECOND PERSON PRONOUNS:

(EXCEPTION:  WRITER’S WORKSHOP ESSAYS)

I                                   me                              you                             your

my                              mine                           one                            one’s

us                                we                              our                              ours

 

ALL:

CONTRACTIONS ( i.e. don’t, you’d, I’ll)

ABBREVIATIONS (i.e. etc., o.k., T.V.)

SLANG (i.e. awesome, cool, fine, totally, rad).

“THE END” ENDINGS

!!! EXCLAMATION POINTS !!!

“So”, “and so”, “and then”

 

BEING VERBS:

am                              is                                  are                             was

were                          be                               being                         been

 

THE VERBS:

would                                    could                         should                        may                might

 

SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH:

(EXCEPTION: If you absolutely need to start a sentence with one of the following words— occasionally it will be acceptable. But, if repeated for every sentence beginning it will result in a deduction of points).

 

A, An, The, But, So, However, This, That, There, Here, Well, It

 

ARE YOU STUCK? POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Find an alternative word or phrase; spell the word out; show, don’t tell, rewrite

REMEMBER:

Do not refer to the essay itself or to any part of it in your sentences (i.e. In this essay I will explain the possibilities why Brad Pitt is not as cool as Johnny Depp.)

!!!FINAL REMINDER!!!

!!!MISS LOOCK DOES NOT LIKE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!