{"id":1015,"date":"2019-11-08T12:33:24","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T17:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?p=1015"},"modified":"2023-09-11T18:18:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T22:18:15","slug":"overused-words-to-replace-in-your-english-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/overused-words-to-replace-in-your-english-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Overused Words to Replace in Your English Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Communication is great, but sometimes it gets just a little predictable. That\u2019s because, despite the thousands upon thousands of words we could use to express ourselves, we keep on insisting on using the same ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may feel a little restricted with the words you can use because of the requirement for simple, plain and inoffensive language. But that doesn\u2019t mean you have to be predictable and, well, dull.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without further ado (so), let\u2019s start now by identifying some of the main culprits, and looking at suitable alternatives to make your English writing just that little bit more interesting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-some\"><strong>Some<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to quantifying something, <em>some<\/em> just doesn\u2019t get the job done. Can you be more specific? And that is the point. This type of vague language only succeeds in frustrating the reader, who cannot say, with any great conviction, how many you are actually talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>couple, several, dozens, one, two, three, four etc.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n    \n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-good\"><strong>Good<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This has to be the worst adjective in English. Okay, maybe not quite, but it\u2019s certainly the most overused, and the one that describes the least. Think of a surly teenager who doesn\u2019t want to reveal any information about anything, but at the same time doesn\u2019t want to give the impression that anything is wrong. <em>Good<\/em> tells us nothing. It is so undescriptive, it is laughable. There\u2019s really no <em>good<\/em> reason to use it (well-spotted!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>interesting, informative, enjoyable, uplifting, eye-opening<\/em> (depending on the context).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-great\"><strong>Great<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Great<\/em> is <em>good<\/em>\u2019s slightly less annoying, but more excitable big brother. We know that it\u2019s better than <em>good<\/em>, but it\u2019s also a word that fails to deliver the idea that it really should. No one can get excited about <em>great<\/em>, even though that is exactly the feeling that <em>great <\/em>should convey.&nbsp; But when it comes to attaching a value to something, instead of using a word such as <em>great<\/em>, which really means nothing, seek to use a word that is more descriptive and explicit, or go for something which makes a valid comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>even better than the last time, incredibly rewarding, of magnificent value.<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-other\"><strong>Other<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Other<\/em> is a word that is incredibly practical, so it\u2019s not as annoying as something like <em>good<\/em>, which really has no value at all. The problem with <em>other<\/em> is that it just turns up too frequently in writing, so here you just need to think about repetition, and go for something a little different each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>additional, alternative, further, supplementary.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more\"><strong>More<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>More<\/em>. This word even sounds dull. But it\u2019s similar to <em>other<\/em>, both in meaning, and in that it is incredibly practical. Instead just look for those nicer sounding alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>additional, alternative, further, supplementary, extra.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-best\"><strong>Best<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This word is horrible for two reasons. Firstly, because a lot of the time, it just isn\u2019t true. We live in a society now where everything is brilliant or terrible. Everything is either the <em>best<\/em> or the worst, ever! But it actually isn\u2019t, is it? What you are saying is a massive overstatement. So, avoid using such superlatives when they do not apply. Secondly, it\u2019s all about opinion anyway, so just because it is the <em>best<\/em> for you, is it really the <em>best<\/em> for others? Scrap this word!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>the most suitable, the most fitting, the most practical, one of the most\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-important\"><strong>Important<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything is <em>important<\/em>. Or nothing is. It all depends who you are talking to, or what you are talking about. And what is <em>important<\/em> for one person isn\u2019t<em> important<\/em> for another (see <em>best<\/em>). And another thing, <em>important<\/em> doesn\u2019t mean <em>best<\/em> in English: this is a false translation from other languages.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: <em>crucial, essential, vital.<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-like\"><strong>Like<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Like<\/em> is a word that is shockingly overused in speech, but it is also creeping in more and more to English writing, which is a cause of major frustration to language purists, and those who like language to be clear. Because <em>like<\/em> just isn\u2019t. <em>Like<\/em> has multiple meanings, but almost all of them can be better expressed in other ways. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I like it. = I think it is an interesting proposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was like last time. = It was similar to the previous occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It feels like you have misunderstood\u2026 = You have misunderstood\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Does it really feel similar to that? Or is that how it feels? Stop stepping around the issue, and SAY WHAT YOU MEAN!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Alternatives<\/strong>: as above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A pro tip<\/strong>: Linguix allows you learning new words while writing. The <a href=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/grammar-check\">Linguix Grammar Checker<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/paraphraser\">paraphraser<\/a> (here is our <a href=\"https:\/\/chrome.google.com\/webstore\/detail\/linguix\/ndgklmlnheedegipcohgcbjhhgddendc\/\">Chrome extension<\/a>) have a built-in AI-fueled synonyms-selection engine. This feature allows you to see synonyms of English words. Just hold down the Alt button and double-click on a word to see a list of its synonyms.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/linguix-2.0-1024x513.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-997\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/linguix-2.0-1024x513.png 1024w, https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/linguix-2.0-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/linguix-2.0-768x385.png 768w, https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/linguix-2.0-600x301.png 600w, https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/linguix-2.0.png 1138w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Communication is great, but sometimes it gets just a little predictable. That\u2019s because, despite the thousands upon thousands of words we could use to express ourselves, we keep on insisting on using the same ones. You may feel a little restricted with the words you can use because of the requirement for simple, plain and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[572,9],"tags":[26,576,568,575],"class_list":["post-1015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vocabulary","category-writing","tag-adjectives","tag-alternatives","tag-vocabulary","tag-words"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.8 (Yoast SEO v24.8.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Overused Words to Replace in Your English Writing - Linguix Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You may feel a little restricted with the words you can use because of the requirement for simple, plain and inoffensive language. 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