That Every Word Tell

At first thought, writing seems like a loquacious trade. But in practice, writing is not so much the use of words as it is the stewarding of the right words. Professional musicians and artists don’t go about splashing color and sounds about haphazardly but rather apply the tools of their trades with skill and intention. And in the same way, writers take great care in what words they use and how they use them.  

As the writer’s bible, The Elements of Style, states, “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences…. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” 

Every word ought to tell, but in the English language, not every word does. Some words detract from the whole. They’re built into casual speech and cultural phrases so they come readily to mind but they do not add a thing to a well-written sentence. Whether you write academic papers, business emails, or high fantasy, sharpen your writing by deleting these unnecessary words.

• Very. This word is simply lazy. It adds nothing to the point you are making. Saying that writing is very challenging is a diluted way of saying that writing is challenging. Instead of saying that a character is very, very loud, you can say they are shouting or you can write a line of dialogue showing how obnoxious they are. Either way, whenever you see “very” pop up in your writing, it’s your invitation to be more specific and succinct.
• Just. We say this a lot in real-life conversations but on paper, it’s a waste of four letters. A case may be made that it is useful in dialogue. I can stand by that if you have a hedgy character who struggles to just say what they mean. But in almost every case, “just” can be deleted without changing the sentence, except perhaps to make it better.
• That. This is another word that by deleting, improves the readability of the sentence. Used correctly, it adds clarity to the sentence, but we use it more often than necessary. I find that it’s unnecessary about 70% of the time. And there is always a way to avoid the “that that” abomination. Even though this double word atrocity is grammatically correct, it always slows the reader down and the overall appearance distracts from your meaning. If this double word shows up in your writing, simply reword your sentence.
• Really. This takes after “very”. Generally lazy in use, really can nearly aways be replaced with a more clarifying word. Don’t say that the storm was really bad, tell me it was catastrophic.
• "Ly" words. Totally, absolutely, completely, actually, probably…. Anytime you use a word ending in ly, it’s a sign that you are writing in passive tense. This is not always a bad thing but it generally means that your writing is less action-oriented, the words are diluted a bit with additional letters. “Actually, it probably means that you could completely reword the sentences for a totally improved reading experience,” can be revised to “rewording the sentences will improve the reading experience.” The second sentence is half the words, the meaning direct and clear.
• Somehow, some way. “Some” is just a meh word. It can always be improved by a more specific word. Especially in emails and business reports, it can come off as unprofessional. “These numbers should be rectified somehow” is not helpful. Spend a few minutes, consider what you want to leave your reader with, and try to bring more clarity to your writing.
• Down, up. These two words are usually implied by the words around them. “Sat down” is redundant because where else do you sit, and “stand up” is equally repetitive for the same reason. If a character is sitting, standing, looking at the sky, climbing stairs, or jumping, you can ignore these words.
• To begin with / Let’s start. These suspenseful phrases have their use in a list of instructions but otherwise, they are unnecessary. Typically, the context implies that we’re beginning or starting something. “Rebranding is a massive undertaking. To begin with, we will need a new logo.” This sentence is can be reworded to “Rebranding is a massive undertaking. We will need a new logo and…” Cut the suspense and get to the point. My pet peeve is the combination of both phrases: “To begin with, we will need to start with a new logo.” Please, the needless suspense is killing me.
• Am I making sense? / Let me know if this was unclear. These phrases, and those like them, are confessions of lazy writing. If you’re the author of said email, paper, blog, or article, it is your job to communicate clearly with your audience. Throwing in a phrase like one of these undermines your work and credibility. If you’re unsure whether you did a fair job explaining a difficult topic, consider revisiting your writing for another edit. You can invite questions and responses with a sentence along the lines of, “Let me know if you have any questions,” or “Please send me your thoughts on point three.”

Communicating clearly should always be the goal. And so you may find yourself needing to make an exception to one of these guidelines at times. But overall, deleting these words from your vocabulary will take your writing to new level.